The Pittsburgh Steelers have run into a wall when it comes to this potential Pro Bowl trade.
Back in March 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract, stealing him away from the Baltimore Ravens.
Queen was definitely solid during his debut campaign with the Steelers, racking up 129 tackles, a sack, a couple of forced fumbles and seven passes defended en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
However, Queen's advanced metrics (58.6 overall grade at Pro Football Focus) indicated that he wasn't quite the same player from his Ravens days.
Well, that slide continued in 2025, as Queen logged a paltry 44.0 overall PFF grade, which ranked 78th among 88 qualifying linebackers.
With the 26-year-old having one year remaining on his contract, which features a $17.2 million cap hit for 2026, Pittsburgh is now trying to move him.
The Steelers thought they had found a trade partner in the Dallas Cowboys, who are still aiming to improve their run defense, but it seems like things fell apart.
Jane Slater of NFL Network has reported that trade discussions with the Cowboys have "hit a snag" and that a source told her Queen is "probably not going" to Dallas.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen. Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images.Pittsburgh could save $13.33 million by simply cutting Queen, but it seems that the Steelers are trying to squeeze whatever value they can out of him.
Pittsburgh has certainly been busy thus far in free agency, signing cornerback Jamel Dean, re-signing fellow corner Asante Samuel Jr. and adding running back Rico Dowdle. Plus, the Steelers swung a trade for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
The question is, what will Pittsburgh do at linebacker if it trades Queen?
While Queen has certainly endured his fair share of struggles in Steel City, the Steelers don't have an immediate replacement on deck, and many of the top linebackers in free agency have already signed.
Pittsburgh can always turn to the NFL Draft for a solution, and there are typically always solid linebackers available in the middle rounds.
We'll see if the Steelers can ultimately find a taker for Queen. Even if they do, they probably won't reap anything more than a Day 3 pick in return for the LSU product.
Pittsburgh still has $14.3 million in available cap room.
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