Police recover Kenny Pickett's stolen car with playbook inside

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett had his SUV stolen on Wednesday, WTAE in Pittsburgh reported Saturday. As if that weren’t bad enough already, one of the items in the stolen vehicle was reportedly a Steelers playbook.

Fortunately, both the SUV and playbook have since been recovered by police. The suspect has been identified as 60-year-old Christopher Carter, who is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The theft occurred while Pickett was attending a local event. According to police, the car, a 2023 Genesis, was found near the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Murrysville. They identified Carter after running the plates on his personal vehicle.

Pickett left the car near Carter’s house before making his way to the event. Carter’s neighbor, Gary Legler, told WTAE that a dealership sent somebody down to pick it up. However, Carter made away with it before anyone arrived.

Legler says the representative from the dealership told police, “‘Oh, the car was just sitting there, and he (the suspect) took it. And the owner has a book in the back, just personal information.’ And come to find out, it’s Kenny Pickett’s car. It’s the Steelers playbook on the backseat.”

With his car now recovered, Pickett can focus on gearing up for his second pro season. The Steelers began OTAs on Tuesday and will wrap things up on June 8. After that, the team begins its mandatory minicamp on June 13.

More on Kenny Pickett’s rookie season with the Steelers

The Steelers selected Pickett, who played college football at Pittsburgh, No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He took over as the team’s starting quarterback by Week 5 and ended up leading them to a 7-5 record across 12 starts.

Pickett finished the year with 2,404 yards passing, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He led Pittsburgh to victory in the final three games of the season but the Steelers narrowly missed the playoffs after going 9-8. However, a 7-2 record over the final nine games provides hope of a better outcome in 2023.

The Steelers added a receiving weapon for Pickett this offseason by trading for Allen Robinson. They also bring back Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, who showed off a connection with Pickett last year as a rookie to finish with 52 catches for 801 yards and four touchdowns.

Pittsburgh kicks off the regular season on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers.