Kenny Pickett

The current starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise is Kenneth Shane Pickett better known as Kenny Pickett. The 6 foot 3 inch, 220 pounds quarterback has slowly but steadily settled into his own with the Steelers after finishing his rookie season. Drafted by the six-time Super Bowl Champions as a long-term replacement for their iconic former leader Big Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have put considerable faith in the youngster hoping that he will be able to guide them to the top once again.

For Kenny, when the NFL came calling, he didn’t have to go too far as he had already been at the University of Pittsburgh for five years. The only transition he had to make was from wearing the blue and gold of the Pittsburgh Panthers to donning the black and gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The current QB1 of the Steelers comes from a sporting family background and as such it is no wonder that his athletic abilities have helped him nurture his talent along the way.

Kenny Pickett Personal Information

Kenny Pickett Early Life

The former Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback was born on June 6, 1998, in Ocean Township, New Jersey. He attended Ocean Township High School where he would end up leading the football team to a 9-2 record as a junior. His high school career saw him pass for over 4,600 yards and had 43 passing touchdowns to go along with 17 rushing touchdowns.

Ever since he was young, Kenny tried out various sports from soccer, baseball, basketball as well as football. He once stated that soccer never worked out for him as he was too physical for the sport. He would ultimately turn his full attention towards football as it had a high level of physicality. It was at the age of seven that he decided to take up football as his favorite sport and quarterback was always the position he wanted to play.

According to Kenny’s father, his son did not need too much guidance over the years and he always had an excellent work ethic which came to him naturally due to his passion for the game. Having been approached by various universities, Pickett eventually settled for the University of Pittsburgh as the football coach showed a lot of interest in his recruitment.

In 2017 Pickett saw limited playing time as he was behind the seniors in the pecking order. However, he earned the starting role in 2018 and led the Panthers to a 32-17 record in the next four years. He finished his college football career with over 12,000 passing yards, 81 passing touchdowns and 32 interceptions. On the ground, he further added 20 rushing touchdowns with 801 rushing yards.

Kenny Pickett Family Background

Ken and Kasey Pickett are proud parents of Kenny Pickett and his sister Alex Pickett. The family of four share a strong bond and are always seen supporting each other through thick and thin. Moreover, all four members of the family have given importance to sports at some point in their lives. In fact, both siblings share the love of sports that has been handed down to them from their parents.

Kenny Pickett Father

Kenny Pickett’s father is Ken Pickett. He has played an important part in introducing the game of American football to his son from a very young age. According to the senior Pickett, his son always had a ball in his hands whether it was a baseball, basketball or football.

Ken Pickett himself was a football player even in his college days and therefore was more than capable of cultivating his son’s craft. Playing as a linebacker for the Red Raiders football team, Pickett Sr. was outstanding at the position. He finished with the third most tackles in the history of the school and was one of the leaders on the team.

Kenny shares a very special bond with his father as he introduced him to the sport and guided him through many years. While speaking to ‘Steelers Now’, Kenny stated that his father would continue to point out whatever mistakes he saw in his son even after he went to high school and college. In that way, he was always involved in Kenny’s development. Kenny considers his father as his best friend and his guidance on football has had a huge impact on his game.

Kenny Pickett Mother

Kenny Pickett’s mother Kasey was also into sports during her college days. She used to play soccer at Division II Kutztown University located in Pennsylvania. She has been a constant support at her son’s games. But that doesn’t stop her from being nervous during his games as Kenny stated to ‘Steelers Now’. Although she has a strong social media presence, further information about her is not made available.

Kenny Pickett Sister

Alex Pickett, who is Kenny’s sister, also played soccer like her mother in college. Alex started out playing the sport for Ocean Township High School for four years. She then played for the East Stroudsburg University’s soccer team where she would represent the Warriors soccer team in four straight NCAA Tournament appearances which included one NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship and three back-to-back Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships. After finishing her playing career in 2018 she became an assistant coach of the Seton Hill University soccer team.

Kenny Pickett Wife

Kenny Pickett recently married Amy Paternoster on June 24, 2023, just a couple of months ahead of the new football season. Previously the beautiful couple was engaged during the start of 2022.

Paternoster herself was also a soccer player during her college days. She was a forward on the Princeton Tigers soccer team. According to her bio on LinkedIn, she is a former Division 1 soccer player and graduated with honors from Princeton. While at Princeton, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a certificate in Finance. Her resume is even more impressive as she has done an internship in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, and Fund of Funds Private Equity at Ardian.

The 23-year-old is approximately a year and a half younger than Kenny and stands exactly one foot shorter than him at 5 feet 3 inches. The couple began their relationship only in 2021 and have made rapid strides in their relationship by getting married just a couple of years later.

Kenny Pickett Social Media

The current QB1 of the Steelers has been relatively active on social media especially on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram with several posts and images respectively. In spite of also having a LinkedIn account, he has not added much information to it. Pickett can be followed on the following handles:

• @kennypickett10 - X

• kennypickett8 - Instagram

Kenny Pickett Draft

Kenny Pickett belongs to the 2022 NFL Draft class. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round with pick number 20. He was the first quarterback to be taken off the board and the Steelers organization couldn’t believe he fell to them all the way down to number 20.

Some of the other notable players who are making waves in the NFL from his draft class include Aidan Hutchinson - defensive end of the Detroit Lions, Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson - cornerback and wide receiver respectively for the New York Jets who both won the defensive and offensive rookies of the year, Chris Olave - wide receiver - New Orleans Saints, and more.

Kenny Pickett NFL Journey

As of today, Kenny Pickett is only in the second year of his NFL journey. Coming into the league in 2022, he was seen as the replacement for the recently retired Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger. However, being a rookie, he was made the backup to Mitchell Trubisky who started the season ahead of Pickett.

It would not take long for Pickett to make his NFL debut. In just week 4 of the 2022 season, he was given his opportunity in the second half as Trubisky was benched due to poor performances. Pickett would then go on to start 12 more games in the season and ended up with a 7-5 record cementing his place as the starter.

In 2022, Pickett threw for a little over 2,400 yards and had seven passing touchdowns. Unfortunately, though, he had nine interceptions to go with that. Not considered a dual-threat quarterback, he only added 237 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He has regained his starting role for the 2023 season and should make the jump up towards a better season in his second year.

Kenny Pickett Teams

Pittsburgh Steelers (2022 - present)

Kenny Pickett started his career in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 when they drafted him in the first round. As of now, he is in his second year with the franchise. Playing his college football for the University of Pittsburgh, Pickett could fit into the Steelers quite easily as he was already accustomed to the city having lived there for five years at that point. Another plus point for him was the fact that he was already used to playing at Acrisure Stadium as the same stadium is used by the college team.

Kenny Pickett Net Worth

The New Jersey native now in his second year in the league already has an approximate net worth of $6 million. He has earned the majority of his money from his NFL contract which made him a multi-millionaire after he received a signing bonus of $7,411,204 in 2022. In addition to his NFL contract, he is also raking in the cash from his endorsement deals.

Pickett is under contract till 2025 and there is also a fifth-year option available. But, be rest assured that if he continues to perform at a higher level then a new deal could get done quickly by 2024 and he may see a significant rise in his overall net worth. With the way the quarterback market is setting records in today's game, Pickett could be set to increase his income exponentially.

Kenny Pickett Contract

Prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season, Pickett signed his rookie contract with the Steelers for a period of four years. His contract is worth $14,067,905 and carries a $7,411,204 signing bonus. His average annual salary with this contract comes out to $3,516,976. It is a fully guaranteed contract with the fifth-year option available meaning he could stay with the black and gold till 2026.

Kenny Pickett Brand Endorsements

Already with four to five brand endorsements under his belt in just his second year in the league, Pickett has a great chance to add to that list with exceptional performances going forward. While in college Pickett had NIL deals with the likes of Oaklander Hotel and Bowser Auto.

With Oaklander Hotel & their restaurant, Spirits & Tales, Pickett used the collaboration to treat his linemen to weekly Hog Dinners. Bowser Automotive is a car dealership with which he struck the deal to promote the company on social media in exchange for driving the GMC Sierra pickup truck provided by the dealership. However, this deal was to end after the end of his college season.

Ready Nutrition is another brand with whom Kenny Pickett has a deal. This brand is co-owned by fellow NFL player Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo. As Pickett had already used their products in college, he was well accustomed to them leading to a logical partnership with the brand. Pickett would be endorsing the products which he uses in online and offline marketing for the company.

Furthermore, he is also reported to have deals in place with NextMove and EA Madden NFL. However, details related to them could not be found.

Kenny Pickett Achievements

As one of the youngest quarterbacks in the league at present with relatively few games in which he has featured, the Steelers number 8 still has some time to go before his achievements can be listed. Be that as it may, he does have some great performances in college football which are worth mentioning.

• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2021)

• ACC Athlete of the Year (2022)

• ACC Player of the Year (2021)

• ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2021)

• First-team All-American (2021)

• First-team All-ACC (2021)

Kenny Pickett Diet

The exact diet which Kenny Pickett follows is not known, however in the offseason prior to the 2023 campaign getting underway, Pickett made his intentions to get bigger clear on the Pat McAfee Show. He mentioned that he had gotten a bit leaner during the combine and needed to bulk up for the upcoming season.

Kenny Pickett House

Kenny Pickett is a native of New Jersey and spent nearly five years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during his college years. Calling Pittsburgh his second home, the exact location of his house during the season and offseason is not known. However, after earning a sizable signing bonus last year and after getting married this year, the Picketts could be on the lookout for a brand new house.

Kenny Pickett Cars

No concrete information regarding the number of cars Kenny Pickett owns could be found. Nevertheless, there was an incident recently when Pickett’s 2023 Genesis SUV was stolen along with his playbook.