John Harbaugh says he’s a ‘big fan of Patrick Queen’ after losing LB to Steelers

Star linebacker Patrick Queen made a big splash when he left the Baltimore Ravens to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. That’s a major move in the AFC North between two rivals, but there’s not too many hard feelings over it for the Ravens.

In fact, as head coach John Harbaugh explained, he’s still a big fan of Patrick Queen, even after losing the linebacker to the Steelers.

“I’ll give him a hug before the game and I’ll root for him except for then,” John Harbaugh said. “He’ll bring a great football player, great attitude, great work ethic, everything he brought to us. I’m a big fan of Pat Queen.”

Patrick Queen was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU. The only head coach he’s had to this point in his NFL career is John Harbaugh, and it was under his guidance that Queen became a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro performer during the 2023 season.

This offseason, Patrick Queen signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his introductory press conference, he explained that Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was one of the key reasons why he chose to go to Pittsburgh.

“That man standing right there,” Queen said. “The organization itself is known for winning, great defense, and a bunch of stars over here. Just wanted to come be a part of that and be that extra piece to try to win again…Everything you hear about him, he’s a great person, great coach. Everybody loves him. Never heard one bad thing about him.”

Interestingly, last season Patrick Queen spoke about being motivated by Mike Tomlin’s “disrespectful” comments that he made when Queen was a rookie.

“Any time you join this organization and they talk about this game, it’s the game that defines you and makes you a Raven. When I was on their sideline my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me, yelling at me, ‘You’re not a Raven, you’re not a Raven. You’re not supposed to be there, you’re not one of them.’ So every time I play them there’s something personal,” Queen said in 2023.

“I don’t care if he was joking. I don’t care if he was serious. At the end of the day I’m on your sideline and you’re telling me I’m not a Raven. That’s kind of disrespectful.”

For the entirety of Patrick Queen’s three-year contract with Pittsburgh, he’ll play Baltimore twice a season. Most seasons, those rivalry games become key battles to try and win the AFC North.