12s should be able to safely assume that the Seattle Seahawks defense is going to be better beginning in 2024. New head coach Mike Macdonald has a track record of elevating his defensive units and molding them into some of the best groups in the NFL. Seattle is also not without young talent such as Devon Witherspoon and Boye Mafe.
One way of making the defense even better is to sign free-agent linebacker Patrick Queen. Queen played under Mike Macdonald the last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and Queen was named Second-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press this past season. He also made his first Pro Bowl.
Spotrac has Queen's market value guessed at $18.5 million a year for five seasons. Can Seattle afford that? Nope. But they can try to make room for Queen and if they were able to do so, 12s should be happy. But Seattle might have to battle with these three teams for Queen's services.
Seahawks must keep Patrick Queen from joining the Eagles
A year ago if Patrick Queen was a free agent and I was Queen (of which I most certainly do not have the talent to be so), and I had the choice between signing with the Seahawks and signing with Philadelphia, I am likely choosing the Eagles. The reason is that the Eagles looked a lot closer to making a push to win a Super Bowl. Plus, Philadelphia's defense looked like it was going to be amazing and I (or Queen) would have just added to it.
But things have changed. Philadelphia declined greatly in the second half of this past season, backed into the playoffs, lost in the first game out, and struggled through a season where the defense underperformed and the defensive coordinator was ultimately fired. Plus, Queen's DC in Baltimore just became the head coach in Seattle. Surely, Queen would choose Seattle over Philly now, right?
Well, maybe not. Money is still the main reason that football players play professionally so getting paid is extremely important, of course. The Eagles currently have $12 million more in cap room than Seattle and while both teams could still make more, the Eagles will probably still be able to pay Queen more than the Seahawks. That might make the difference in the end.
Seahawks must prevent the Cardinals from signing Patrick Queen
Speaking of money, the Cardinals have a lot more of it than Seattle does, about $37 million more right now. Arizona can pay Queen more and there is nothing Seattle can do about that.
But while the Cardinals might have done a bit better in 2023 than pundits thought they would, Seattle is still the better team and with more talent. Seattle has more talent on its defense than it has shown in the last couple of years, too, but Macdonald should be able to fix that. That is the hope anyway.
Queen also might be of the mind to help his former DC fix Seattle as well. If that happens, Queen is going to be more beloved with the Seahawks than he ever would with Baltimore. The reason is he will be seen as a significant part of Macdonald's plan, plus Queen will probably be the green dot on the defense and be Macdonald's general on the field. Plus, 12s love their linebackers because the team has had some great ones since 2011, especially Bobby Wagner who Queen would be replacing.
Plus, Seattle, and especially Macdonald, would not like to see the linebacker end up with an NFC West rival. If the Seahawks cannot land Queen, it would be a slap in the face to play him twice a year. No one likes to be slapped in the face, I don't think.
Seahawks must sign Patrick Queen before the Los Angeles Rams
The same that can be said of the Cardinals can be said about the Rams in terms of Queen signing with an NFC West rival. Plus, for once, the Rams have an abundance of cap room to spend and can afford Queen. The Seahawks currently have $14 million in cap space but the Rams have $43 million, according to Spotrac.
Los Angeles also has an annoying way of making a linebacker's raw statistics explode. For example, Bobby Wagner played in only one season with Los Angeles in 2022 but he had a career-high in sacks (6) and his second-best number (at the time) of tackles for loss (10). There is little doubt that Queen's numbers would go higher in Los Angeles as well simply because, without a real logical explanation, that is what happens.
Queen will also be just 25 years old when the 2024 season begins so he could be a menace to Seattle and his former DC for years. But if Queen were to come to Seattle and the Seahawks were also able to bring back Jordyn Brooks, Seattle would have arguably the best linebacker duo in the NFL, one that is young, athletic, and dangerous.
While Seattle has the natural tie between Queen and Macdonald, the question is whether the team can afford the linebacker. Seattle is likely to make more cap room by releasing some players, such as Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, who are currently under contract for next season, but bringing in Queen is going to be an upgrade and immediately improve the Seahawks' defense.