The Pittsburgh Steelers will be under immense pressure during the 2025 NFL season. Pittsburgh will do whatever it takes to get back to the playoffs in what could be Aaron Rodgers' final season. One Steelers player recently revealed what caused him to come to Pittsburgh in the first place.
Patrick Queen opened up about what led him to join the Steelers in a recent interview.
As Queen explains, Mike Tomlin sneakily pitched the idea to him after a game against the Ravens during the 2023 season.
“So we were playing in Pittsburgh and Mike T comes up to me after the game,” Queen said on Friday's episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward. “He’s like, ‘ You’re going to be a Steeler.’ I’m like, ‘Who said that?’ I had no idea who said that. And he just walked off. So I’m looking around like, ‘Who said that?’ Then once I got here he told me it was him. It doesn't even register at the time, like in my past tense. Just how you can speak things into existence and stuff. So that’s why, like I said I came here, speaking into existence that we could be a great defense. Now it's just time for us to do that.”
Queen heard what Tomlin said, but he had no idea that it was Tomlin who said it.
Queen also noted that he was initially worried about telling the story. He did not want Tomlin to be hit with some sort of tampering charge.
Of course, simply declaring that a player will join your team likely is not enough to be considered tampering.
Regardless, Queen signed a three-year, $41 million contract with Pittsburgh during free agency in 2024.
What Patrick Queen said about choosing Steelers back in 2024
Queen also explained his reasoning for joining the Steelers back in 2024. Before he knew that Tomlin was the one who told him he would become a Steeler.
“From the 15 teams that I was talking to, it came down to five at the end. Some were offering [$17 million per year],” Queen said. “I had a chance to either go win or a chance to get paid. For me, the difference was like $4 or $5 million.”
Queen decided it was more important to play for a winning team than earn a few more dollars.
“I'm looking at it like, ‘I've never been on a losing team before,” Queen continued. “I also don't want to be part of anything being rebuilt because I'm trying to win now. [I'm] really just trying to win right now and get that out of the way. I will get paid later.”
The decision has worked out so far, as the Steelers made the playoffs in 2024.
Perhaps the Steelers will return to the postseason after going all in ahead of the 2025 season.
