When it came to choosing the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency and leaving the Baltimore Ravens, linebacker Patrick Queen stated that the addition of quarterback Russell Wilson for the Black and Gold played a huge role in him choosing to relocate to the Steel City.
Speaking with reporters Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Queen stated that seeing Wilson sign with the Steelers and give Pittsburgh an experienced quarterback with a chance to win big this season helped sway him.
“It definitely does when you gotta guy like that, who’s known to win, and he probably got a little chip on his shoulder right now,” Queen said. “My job is to come and try to help him get the ball back to him, get the ball back to the offense, let them do their thing. I think with Russ, if Russ plays like Russ, this team is scary.”
With plenty of options in free agency, including potentially returning to the AFC runner-up Ravens, Queen chose a different path. He signed with Pittsburgh, going to a team that had just added a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Wilson on a one-year, $1.21 million deal, the veteran minimum.
Though Wilson might not be what he once was at the height of his powers in Seattle, he remains a good quarterback overall and put together a strong season in 2023, throwing for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ultimately, he was benched late in the season due to a contract dispute with the Denver Broncos, which led to his release.
Now he’s in Pittsburgh and appears to be a galvanizing figure for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has that pedigree quarterback who knows how to win in the room again.
That’s exciting, and it caught Queen’s attention. Though he just met Wilson in person, Queen stated to reporters that he has “all the faith in the world” in his new quarterback.
“I met him this morning. He’s just a great guy, cool dude. He’s Russ, he’s the guy you expect,” Queen said, according to video via Steelers.com. “He came in, talked a little bit, talked about what we need to do to lead this team to where we wanna go to. I got all the faith in him in the world.”
Queen sure sounds excited by the presence of Wilson. So, too, should the rest of his new teammates when they get a chance to meet Wilson and interact with him in the locker room and on the practice field.
