As the NFL trade deadline approaches on November 10, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen has drawn fresh attention after ESPN insiders Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler placed him tenth on their ranking of the league’s top 25 trade candidates.
The designation feels misplaced to many observers given Pittsburgh’s 5-2 record and clear preference for adding rather than subtracting talent.
Queen, who signed a three-year, $41 million contract with the Steelers before the 2024 season, is playing out the final year of that deal and is scheduled to become a free agent in 2027.
Fowler noted that trade interest circulated during the spring, with the Dallas Cowboys among the teams that inquired about his availability.
Those conversations never produced a deal, and Fowler acknowledged that Pittsburgh’s current standing makes a midseason move unlikely. Still, the inclusion of a starting linebacker on a contending roster struck some as odd.
Through seven games this season Queen has recorded 48 combined tackles, including two for loss, along with one sack, one interception, three passes defended, and two quarterback hits.
Those numbers keep him productive, even if they have not always matched the expectations that accompanied his arrival from Baltimore.
Criticism from fans and analysts has occasionally grown sharp, with some questioning his effort on certain plays. Queen even responded publicly to one such critique earlier in the season.
That conversation quieted somewhat after Pittsburgh’s Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints in Paris. Queen finished with ten tackles and registered his highest Pro Football Focus grade of the year.
The performance offered a reminder of the range and tackling volume that once made him a second-team All-Pro with the Ravens and a Pro Bowl selection in Pittsburgh.
If that level of play continues, the organization would have even less incentive to move him before the deadline.
With a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and several other key defensive pieces already past age 30, the Steelers appear firmly in win-now mode.
Trading a starter at this stage would run counter to that approach, regardless of Queen’s contractual situation.
The team could still reassess his future after the season, particularly if it decides to retool around a younger quarterback.
For the remainder of 2026, however, the more practical path is keeping Queen in place and focusing on contending rather than preparing for free agency that remains more than a year away.
