LB Patrick Queen addresses future with Ravens

In a perfect scenario, Queen would be back with the Ravens, who he's spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with. But there are a few factors that will make that difficult.

Salary cap

Baltimore is projected to have just $13.65M in cap space, according to Pro Football Focus. Of course, there are several moves the team can make to clear up more space. But money will be tighter than ever after giving QB Lamar Jackson a five-year, $260M contract last offseason.

Large investment at LB

The Ravens have also already made a large investment in the position. After trading for LB Roquan Smith in 2022, the team handed him a five-year, $100M extension in the offseason. Smith has proven to be worth every penny, but a lot of money is already tied up at linebacker.

Baltimore used its 2023 third-round pick on LB Trenton Simpson as well. Although Simpson didn't have much playing time this year, he showed promise in the regular season finale with seven tackles and a sack. Simpson may just turn out to be Queen's replacement.

Back-to-back dominant seasons

Queen has certainly earned himself a massive payday over the past two years. The 24-year-old has posted 250 tackles, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and 12 passes defensed from 2022-23.

Following Queen's back-to-back dominant seasons, he is expected to receive a five-year, $92.64M deal ($18.5M per year), per Spotrac. As much as the team may want him back, it just may not be possible.