What became evident on the second day of the draft became official Monday as the Ravens declined their fifth-year option for 2020 first-round pick Patrick Queen, meaning the inside linebacker will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season.
Queen, 23, is coming off the best year of his career with career highs in tackles (117), sacks (five), interceptions (two), and pass breakups (six) and Pro Football Focus grading him 31st out of 81 qualified off-ball linebackers. However, his long-term future came into doubt from the moment general manager Eric DeCosta acquired All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith from Chicago at last year’s trade deadline and later signed the 26-year-old “force multiplier” to a five-year, $100 million extension. Baltimore drafted Clemson inside linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of this past weekend’s draft, another sign that Queen was unlikely to receive the $12.7 million fifth-year option for 2024.
Though his first two seasons were inconsistent, the LSU product hasn’t missed a game in his career and has no shortage of motivation to have a great 2023 campaign playing next to Smith, which would only increase Queen’s chances of a lucrative payday. It’s just unlikely to come in Baltimore with lucrative resources already devoted to one inside linebacker and quarterback Lamar Jackson having agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract last week.
“We love Patrick; I love Patrick. Patrick is, in my mind, one of the better Will linebackers in the league,” said DeCosta after drafting Simpson on Friday night. “He’s smart. He works his butt off. He has a bright future. I think he’s a Pro Bowl linebacker in the making. In Trenton, we get a guy that was honestly the very best player available at the time. That’s our philosophy. That’s how we build our team.”
Queen has been the popular subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, but it remains to be seen whether the Ravens would get sufficient return value to forgo the opportunity to pair him with Smith for one more season as one of the NFL’s best inside linebacker duos. It’s also debatable whether pushing Simpson — whose skill set has drawn comparisons to Queen’s — into a starting role as a rookie would be wise for a defense with championship aspirations.
In 50 career games, the 6-foot, 237-pound Queen has collected 321 tackles, 10 sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown.
