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The Baltimore Ravens decided to franchise tag their star defensive tackle Justin Madubuike on Tuesday, March 5, prior to the deadline. While fans are happy that the front office have secured the breakout star (for now), there are some fans concerned with the potential loss of homegrown linebacker Patrick Queen.
One of the first responses to the Ravens tweeting about the Madubuike news is X user “Ant” posting, “Goodbye patrick [crown emoji].” Another user wrote, “i like it now pay him and patrick queen.”
The fear amongst fans being focused on the lack of financial resources available to keep Queen in the purple and black.
Another user wrote, “I’m glad he isn’t leaving but we gotta get that deal done before FA. I would have liked to maybe see a tag on PQ and a deal already in place with Beeks but I trust EDC to do what he always does.. put the best team possible on the field.”
The Ravens have been working on a long-term contract with Madubuike and could still get something done prior to free agency to open up more money for other free agents.
Much of the sentiment can be boiled down to another user writing, “i like it now pay him and patrick queen.”
Ravens’ Financials Preventing Bringing Back Patrick Queen
With the franchise tag being placed on Madubuike, the cap hit for the defensive tackle is now $22.1 million. According to OverTheCap, the Ravens are $9.5 million in the hole for cap space.
They will need to make cuts and restructures before the start of the league year if they plan to address the holes they have in free agency.
Queen is one of the top linebackers and defenders in this year’s free agency class and will cash in this offseason.
Spotrac’s market value tool projects the star linebacker at 5-years, $93 million ($18.5 million a year). The Ravens have already invested $100 million in the linebacker position with Roquan Smith‘s contract and drafted Trenton Simpson during the 2023 NFL draft.
With holes at the RB, OL and DL positions Baltimore may need to focus their remaining resources on those positions instead of a place where they have one of the best defenders in the league.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote about defensive fits and wrote, “A return to Baltimore would be perfectly logical, as Queen would stay next to Smith and continue competing for a Super Bowl contender.”
However, with their current financial position it seems to be a long shot to bring the former first round pick back.
Teams Will Line up for Patrick Queen’s Services
Queen will have no problem finding a team to give him a massive contract this offseason. The former first rounder is coming off the best year of his career and looks like he has taken the next step in his development.
“Patrick Queen is the top off-ball linebacker scheduled to hit the market later this month,” Knox wrote. Knox went on to write, “Paired with 2022 trade acquisition Roquan Smith in the middle of Baltimore’s defense, Queen became a star.”
Queen will be turning 25 years old prior to the start of the 2024 season, so the star still has plenty of time to potentially get even better.
Knox wrote, “The Seattle Seahawks would also make a ton of sense…. Seattle needs an influx of defensive talent, and Macdonald knows how to put Queen in a position to succeed.”
Macdonald, the former Ravens’ defensive coordinator, may look to add Queen to kick-start the Seahawks defensive rebuild.
Knox also pointed to the Philadelphia Eagles as another option for Queen. He wrote, “The Eagles would also be a fine landing spot for the 24-year-old. Philadelphia needs a lot of help in the back seven.”
“The Eagles could help Queen continue his upward trajectory while giving him a chance to return to the postseason,” Knox explained.
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