The NFL's regular season is over, which for most teams, means it's time to start figuring out plans for the offseason.



NFL free agency is a huge part of the process, and along with the NFL Draft, it has everyone preparing for what should be a very active couple of months.

We've officially come up with our own contract projections for the NFL's top free agents that include context behind each player's 2023 season, the likelihood of a franchise tag, the projection itself, and the first-year cap hit for a team that's “all-in” and is needing to reduce that first-year hit in order to maximize their cap dollars.

So, without further ado, let's check out the projection for Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Patrick Queen.

Patrick Queen 2024 Contract Projection

The Ravens defense was one of the most impressive units of the year, and at the center of their success was a two-headed monster at linebacker. Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen came together to form a dominant tandem, while excelling in all three phases: coverage, pass rush, and run defense.

After a rough first two seasons with the Ravens, Queen turned things around in 2022 by vastly improving in coverage and becoming a more reliable tackler, simultaneously increasing his tackle count and lowering the missed tackles that hurt him in 2020 and 2021. While cleaning up his missed tackles still needs to be a priority, his 133 total tackles this past season should be enough to quell the doubts of GMs bidding for his services.

The Ravens are in a tricky situation, having already awarded Roquan Smith a hefty $100 million, five-year contract, last year. They could have exercised the fifth-year option on the former first rounder last offseason, retaining Queen’s rights through the 2024 season, but hadn’t seen enough consistency to justify the price tag. The Ravens undoubtedly are regretting that decision now, as Queen’s play has likely elevated him to the highest-valued free agent linebacker this offseason.

He will not reset the market the way his teammate did last offseason, and he likely won’t match the contracts of the top-paid linebackers when adjusting their contracts to today’s dollars, but he’ll benefit from being the belle of the linebacker ball, such as prior top-paid free agents of years past like Tremaine Edmunds and Foyesade Oluokun.

• Franchise Tag Likelihood: High
• 4 Year, $73M, $18.25M APY, $38M GTD
• Year One Cap Hit: $7M

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Be sure to check back in and around the site for more projections, as we will add more in the coming days and weeks.