The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have one of the NFL’s best rivalries. The two teams have competed in plenty of fierce games over the years. While players on both squads hold disdain for the other side, some have gone on to play for both teams. That includes Patrick Queen, who spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens before signing with the Steelers last year. Former Ravens pass rusher Terrell Suggs still isn’t happy Queen made that decision.
“Patrick Queen, the traitor,” Suggs said recently on the Glory Daze podcast. “He’s a pretty good football player, but he’s a traitor, so who knows? You can go to any team in the world, and you’re gonna go there? You’re gonna go there? I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Nah, that’s fake. He didn’t do that.’”
A first-round pick by the Ravens in 2020, Queen became one of the best players on their defense. In his final season there, he made his first Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro.
Queen looked like he was coming into his own but then he signed with the Steelers. However, as he’s explained in the past, it wasn’t a decision he made lightly. The Ravens let him leave, never offering him a contract.
That left Queen feeling scorned, which likely made him feel less apprehensive about joining the Ravens’ biggest rival. In his first game playing against the Ravens, he made it clear that he wanted to make them regret letting him leave. Queen made a big impact, too, forcing a fumble in the Steelers’ sole win over the Ravens last season.
It isn’t surprising that Suggs still has strong feelings about Queen joining the Steelers. His era helped define the rivalry. Many of the stars involved in those games likely wouldn’t have dared to cross that line.
However, Queen isn’t the first person to play for both the Ravens and Steelers. Rod Woodson did it, although he was with the Steelers before their rivalry with the Ravens began. Alejandro Villanueva left the Steelers for the Ravens, and he was part of some classic matchups between the teams. Malik Harrison and DeShon Elliott are also both current Steelers who were previously with the Ravens.
Therefore, what Queen did isn’t exactly rare. However, that probably won’t change how Suggs feels. He bleeds purple and black. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen if Queen will suit up for this week’s game between the Steelers and Ravens because of an injury he suffered last Sunday. If he does, hopefully he has a good showing and further establishes himself in the rivalry.
