Lamar Jackson and Patrick Queen showed Saquon Barkley and Tiki Barber how reacting to a free-agency move is supposed to be done. Jackson had fun with his reaction to the news inside linebacker Queen will swap the Baltimore Ravens to join arch rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers on a three-year deal.
The news Queen agreed a contract worth $41 million with Baltimore’s biggest rivals from the AFC North was first reported by former Ravens’ defensive end Marcus Spears (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter) on Tuesday, March 12.
Jackson responded to the news by posting on X: “@Patrickqueen_ You’re Dead to us, Queen. Good luck, You’re Dead to me.”
@Patrickqueen_ You’re Dead to us, Queen. Good luck, You’re Dead to me. https://t.co/JHb1KFX2qS pic.twitter.com/pP7hKT9MO1
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 12, 2024
This could’ve been Jackson’s light-hearted riff on a spat that started between former New York Giants’ running backs Barkley and Barber. It began when Barkley left Big Blue for NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, March 11.
The move prompted Giants’ all-time leading rusher Barber to say, “You’re dead to us, Saquon. Good luck, you’re dead to me,” during an appearance on WFAN Sports Radio.
"You're dead to us"
Tiki reacts to Saquon Barkley reportedly signing with the hated Eagles 😮 pic.twitter.com/fU3hYZaQkV
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) March 11, 2024
Although it appeared as though Barber’s remarks weren’t serious, Barkley took exception. What followed was a brief, bitter back and forth between the two about their respective legacies.
The Ravens don’t need to worry about Jackson and Queen getting into any verbals. Queen took his now-former quarterback’s joke in the spirit it was intended based on his reply on X.
😂ight bruh
— 🦈 (@Patrickqueen_) March 12, 2024
It helped Jackson had already sent another member of last season’s Ravens defense off to a divisional rival in a similarly mischievous way.
Lamar Jackson’s Enjoying Saying Goodbye
Jackson is enjoying saying goodbye, even when it means seeing teammates joining AFC North rivals. That’s become familiar so far in free agency after Queen became the second defensive player to land within the division.
Safety Geno Stone made his move on Monday. The player who led the Ravens with seven interceptions last season, agreed a two-year deal worth $15 million with the Cincinnati Bengals.
It gave Jackson the chance to unleash what’s now become his signature reaction: “@GenoStone22 You’re Dead to us, You’re Dead to me!!”
@GenoStone22 You’re Dead to us, You’re Dead to me‼️ https://t.co/rbvt1qLmmo
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 11, 2024
Jokes aside, Jackson will know the Ravens lost two quality players. Fortunately, the star quarterback has been equipped with a new playmaker, in the form of running back Derrick Henry.
The two-time NFL rushing champion got a 2-year, $16M deal worth up to $20M with $9M guaranteed on Tuesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Henry is quite the consolation prize for Jackson and the Baltimore offense after running back Gus Edwards agreed a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Although the Ravens haven’t restocked their defense the same way, the unit’s well-equipped to cope without Queen and Stone.
Ravens Can Recover from Patrick Queen Exit
Queen was versatile and productive, but the Ravens have a ready-made replacement in the form of second-year pro Trenton Simpson. The latter earned praise from Queen late last season and has breakout potential.
Stone’s ball-hawking traits made him a surprise star in 2023, but it’s not as if the Ravens aren’t already loaded at the position. They have Kyle Hamilton, a one-man wrecking crew in the box, as well as veteran Marcus Williams, who’s a natural free safety.
It will sting the Ravens to see productive defenders suit up for rivals. Especially when Queen found a good fit with the Steelers, a franchise with a proud history of featuring dynamic linebackers.
Ultimately though, Jackson and the Ravens are loaded enough on both sides of the ball to survive these losses and still contend.
