The Pittsburgh Steelers would prefer not to remember the 2024 season, so linebacker Patrick Queen is moving forward.
Queen, who signed a three-year, $41 million contract last offseason, isn’t content with the way Pittsburgh concluded its most recent campaign — the Steelers lost five games straight, including the AFC Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh underperformed, but Queen sees no reason to harp on the past rather than look forward to what the Steelers can do to restore the franchise amid its nine-year drought without a playoff win.
“Last season’s last season. I think I’m over all that stuff,” Queen said in a team-conducted interview. “I’ve been talking about the green dot and getting used to that, and getting used to the defense and new calls and the teammates and stuff. I think all that stuff’s out the window. I think this is a season where I got to show up. I got to be who they pay me to be. I feel like that’s who I am anyway, so why not this year — second year — just do that?”
Pittsburgh spent this offseason making a handful of significant changes from saying goodbye to quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, to acquiring and signing wide receiver DK Metclaf to a five-year, $150 million contract extension. George Pickens is gone, Mason Ruldolph is back and Aaron Rodgers is (still) the biggest question mark in free agency. Queen, however, isn’t overwhelmed by all the moving parts.
Queen is specifically looking forward to working alongside first-year inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley.
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“It’s exciting,” Queen said. “Just for the main part, getting to know him and how he coaches, how he approaches the game and how he picks your brain, the things that he wants to see done. So it’s a new challenge, and that’s always exciting to have a new challenge.”
The Steelers finished 10-7 last season, second in the AFC North.
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