Breaking News:The first-round pick by the Ravens was Proceed And signed A New Contract Of $16 and $18 million Per….
Teams may improve by selecting from a wealth of Pro Bowl and All-Pro defensive free agents in the 2024 offseason. This caliber of defense is being offered by the Baltimore Ravens in various trades, chief among them being linebacker Patrick Queen.
In a piece for ESPN, Bill Barnwell categorized the free agency linebackers into levels, with Queen being the best LB in his system. “Franchise players” made up his first tier, but according to Barnwell, “this year, though, nobody fits the bill as a franchise-caliber player on the open market.”
Barnwell stated, “Queen, who had a fairly disappointing first two and a half seasons in the league, might be the closest thing to a franchise player.”
The forced fumble on the open field tackle by Patrick Queen
Queen was the only linebacker in the class to be placed in the “Pro Bowl-caliber starters” category. Given that Barnwell forecasts an average yearly compensation of between $16 million and $18 million, it would work out well for the 24-year-old.
The contract forecast somewhat falls short of Queen’s estimate made using Spotrac’s market value tool. This summer, Queen could be considering a 5-year, $93 million contract, according to Spotrac.
The fact that all teams’ pay caps increased to all-time highs and increased the amount of money available to players is undoubtedly helpful.
Barnwell stated, “Queen’s inability to emerge as Mosley’s successor was partially reflected in the Ravens’ trade for Roquan Smith. But Queen was able to reach a new level, and he was at his best playing football with Smith.
Queen will now try to use that “new level” to advance to a higher salary tier.
As the heir apparent to the position, Queen was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was intended to take over as the defense’s commander, but he didn’t seem to be very good at it.
Pro Football Focus gave his 2021 a 43.5 overall rating and his 2020 a 29.7 overall.
Queen was able to concentrate more on being a bruiser and ball-hawk once Smith joined for the 2022 season as opposed to calling defenses.
Barnwell stated, “Queen produced career lows in yards per completion and yards per target in 2022 and was very good in 2023.”
Additionally, PFF gave his 2022 and 2023 ratings much higher ratings than his first two league seasons. In 2022, he had a grade of 70.0, and in 2023, a grade of 73.1.
With 133 tackles in 2023, Queen was able to reach a career high in combined tackles. He was selected to the All-Pro Second Team at linebacker and made his first Pro Bowl selection.
Queen’s tenure in Baltimore appeared to be coming to an end when the Ravens acquired Smith and went on to offer him a $100 million, five-year contract. It was probable that Queen would be performing somewhere else in 2024 when they turned down their five-year option in May of 2023.
“Seattle [Seahawks], where Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner are both free agents and former Ravens coordinator Mike Macdonald has taken over as coach, is the easy landing spot for Smith,” Barnwell said.
According to Barnwell, Queen “should end up getting something somewhere this offseason that is close to a [Tremaine] Edmunds-sized deal.”
In May 2023, Edmunds signed a $72 million, four-year contract with the Chicago Bears. After a successful season, Queen could be hoping to cash in on a bigger deal.
Tony Vozza writes about baseball and the NFL for Heavy.com, concentrating on the New York Yankees and Baltimore Ravens.