Any club would have been happy to get Patrick Queen in the offseason, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are eager to capitalize on having a player of his caliber anchoring their defense.

This past weekend, the former first-round pick spoke with Derrick Bell of Steelers Now on his YouTube channel. He revealed that he rejected offers that would have increased his annual salary because he was more interested in playing for the Steelers.

“In the end, it came down to five teams from the fifteen that I was speaking with,” Queen stated. “About 17 (million) were being offered by some. I could have gone for the win or gone for the pay day. The difference was almost five million for me. I’m viewing it with the mindset that I have never been a member of a losing squad. I’m trying to win right now, therefore I also don’t want to be a part of something that is being rebuilt.

By signing a three-year, $41 million contract in March, Queen became the largest free agent signing in Steelers history. Based on his words, Queen believes the next three years will be crucial to winning big games.