Steelers Signing Patrick Queen Was So Devastating To Ravens' Marlon Humphrey "I Got Mad Emotional"

A few Pittsburgh Steelers players over the years have jumped the fence and played for the dark side. James Harrison left and played all over the AFC, including with division rival Baltimore Ravens, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Alejandro Villanueva and Kordell Stewart finished their careers in Baltimore as well. It is unusual in the NFL for players to go to rival teams, especially within the AFC North. But it has happened again: the Steelers signed inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who spent his first four years with the Ravens.

This led to a lot of ribbing on social media from Queen's former teammates, who jokingly said they hope he goes 0-17 in 2024. Now another ex-teammate of Queen's, Marlon Humphrey, is speaking out about the change. Humphrey commented about Queen on a recent episode of his show, Punch Line Podcast.      

"I'll be honest with you, when I saw Patrick Queen to the Steelers, I got mad emotional. I'm just gonna be honest with you, that one hurt to the core, top linebacker in free agency. Literally, when I saw that, I started thinking to myself, 'How can I line up in front of PQ?' It would be pretty hard to just knock PQ down anyway; he's much bigger than me. So I really went off the true emotional deep end, and I was like, 'It don't matter, I'mma hit him.' Bro, the Steelers? I can't believe this."

Humphrey, a cornerback, has been with the Ravens since they drafted him in 2017. That means he was part of the veteran group of defenders who mentored Queen. Now, he is scheming to try to get on special teams or, in some scenario, that will allow him to line up across from Queen and hit him - despite knowing that Queen has about 30 pounds on him. 

Humphrey said he felt shocked when he heard the news. At that moment, he realized that "purple" had taken hold of him and was a part of who he was. Prior to that, Humphrey said he didn't quite realize how emotional he felt about the team, which led to him texting Queen. 

"I was like, 'Bro, tell me this was the only option.' I was like, 'You gotta help me get through this. If you sit here and tell me, you chose the Steelers...' He was like, 'Bro, it was the best situation,' and then he told me the other team and I was like, 'I hear you.'"

Humphrey said he felt terrible; he wasn't trying to be a downer or ruin the moment of Queen's exciting new deal. He added that after Queen explained the situation to him and told him his options, he better understood why he chose Pittsburgh.

Jack Settleman, Humphrey's co-host, said he saw the mocked up jersey photo of Queen as a Steelers player, and it hurt. He added that he knew Humphrey wasn't a Ravens fan before joining the team, but said that Queen is the best player who has ever flipped sides while in his prime. He called it "a hostile takeover." According to Humphrey, the good news is that his favorite colors are purple and yellow. 

Steelers Had Their Eye On Queen From The Start

In his introductory press conference, Queen spoke about how excited he is to be in Pittsburgh. At three years and $41 million, Queen's contract represents the largest free agency contract the team has ever signed. The Ravens had to let Queen go because they had already committed to making Roquan Smith the highest-paid linebacker in the league at five years and $100 million. 

Queen added that he has complete respect for Head Coach Mike Tomlin and said that coming to Pittsburgh had a lot to do with him. None of this should surprise anyone. Tomlin's viral taunts at Queen during his rookie year come up frequently. Tomlin hollered to him, "You're not a Raven. You're not supposed to be there. You're not one of them." 

At the time, Queen, trying to fit in on his new team, was angry about Tomlin's remarks. But Queen knows that no disrespect was meant. Now, he goes from one strong defense to another, but he will have an opportunity to be the star in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have struggled for years to find an inside linebacker with Queen's talent level. 

What do you think about players who switch to play for the enemy? Click to comment below.

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