4 great free agents Seattle Seahawks could've signed but didn't
By Lee Vowell
Linebacker Patrick Queen
Signed for three years and $41 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers
John Schneider likely just didn't want to spend as much as the Steelers did on Queen, but the linebacker would have been a boon to Seattle's defense from a talent standpoint but also become the green dot for Mike Macdonald. Queen played under Macdonald for the last two years when Macdonald was the DC for the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald would know what the linebacker can do and Queen would know what Macdonald expects.
Just like with the linebackers the Seahawks have signed - Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson, Queen can cover extremely well. But he might be better at bringing quarterback pressure than Dodson and could be better at stopping the run than Baker. The difference between Queen's overall ability and 2023 starters Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner is very noticeable. Wagner and Brooks were awful in coverage and Queen is not.
But perhaps the biggest advantage that Queen would have had is the experience working under Macdonald and the leadership that would come with that. He could teach the players around him what the alignment should be and there would be zero issues with on-field communication. Ultimately, Queen got more money from Pittsburgh than Schneider was going to spend. Let's hope that issue is not something the Seahawks come to regret by not spending a bit more.