Minkah Fitzpatrick may not be a Steeler anymore — but that hasn’t stopped LB Patrick Queen from watching his back.

Following the blockbuster Jalen Ramsey trade, Queen took to social media to offer an emotional farewell to his now-former teammate Fitzpatrick. The touching moment didn’t last long, however, as a fan then asked Queen if the six-month-old ‘struggling Steelers defender’ rumor was about Fitzpatrick — leading the linebacker to respond with an emphatic: “No.”

No

— 🦈 (@Patrickqueen_) June 30, 2025

As some fans may remember, the rumor in question stems from Cam Heyward’s post-game comments following the Steelers‘ loss on Christmas Day last season (per Mark Kaboly):

“When 10 guys do their job and one guy doesn’t, we are screwed.”

Speculation ran rampant as to who he was specifically referencing — and even after Heyward clarified he wasn’t calling out one defender individually — the damage was already done, as evident in Queen’s need to defend Fitzpatrick.

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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers’ Patrick Queen defends Minkah Fitzpatrick post-trade