Queen, 26, is entering the final season of his three-year contract with Pittsburgh. He told reporters that there had been “nothing crazy” in terms of conversations between his representatives and the Steelers about an extension.
With no new deal looming, it made sense for some to identify the possibility of a trade, even if it turned out to be a case of the smoke before the fire.
“Some of it was true, but some of it was the spread truth, just people rambling and stuff,” Queen said. “That’s what you can have with social media these days. You know, everybody wants the first word on anything — and wants to hope it’s right. [There were] very [few] facts out there.”
Queen likely drew attention because of how valuable he had been seen around the league based on his durability and production.
He has started 101 consecutive games to start his career and has produced 100 tackles in five of his six NFL seasons. A two-time Pro Bowler, he led the Steelers in tackles in 2024 and was second on the team in 2025, his 120 sacks were six behind LB Payton Wilson off the ball.
He is a key cog in the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense as the Steelers enter uncharted territory outside of the Mike Tomlin era, which began when Queen was just eight years old. Mike McCarthy’s first year as head coach and Aaron Rodgers’ last dance have a much better chance of success with Queen on the roster than without, especially as the Steelers defense looks to get back on track after falling out of the top 10 in points allowed for the first time since 2021.
Queen is comfortable helping Pittsburgh in that effort in a vacuum. Rejecting all previous trade talk and unfazed by his contract status, he needs to look no further than the upcoming season to focus on the task at hand.
“I’ve had a good amount this year,” Queen said. “So at the end of the day, I couldn’t care less. If they want to extend, cool. If not, cool. At the end of the day, this is a business.”