There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Patrick Queen had a personal grudge against Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Queen, the former Ravens linebacker, told ESPN on Tuesday that he agreed to a three-year deal worth $41 million, and it did not take the internet very long to find some choice words that Queen had for Tomlin in a press conference last October.
Queen was discussing an interaction that he had with Tomlin in 2020, his rookie year with the Ravens.
“When I was on their sideline, my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me [and] yelling at me, [saying] ‘You’re not a Raven. You’re not a Raven. You’re not supposed to be there. You’re not one of them,'” Queen told reporters in October. “So every time I play them, it’s something personal.”
It didn’t matter to the linebacker if Tomlin had been ribbing him — the exchange stuck.
“I don’t care if he was joking. I don’t care if he was serious,” Queen continued. “At the end of the day, I’m on your sideline, and you’re telling me I’m not a Raven. It’s kind of disrespectful.”
Queen, 24, had 133 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks last season as he made the Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro.
He was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Ravens out of LSU.
While the Ravens are losing Queen, they did sign veteran running back Derrick Henry to a two-year deal on Tuesday.
Henry is getting $9 million guaranteed and the total contract will be worth between $16 million and $20 million depending on how he performs on various incentives.