He was selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 2009 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, and spent his entire 8-year career with the team.

[2] Pettigrew played college football at Oklahoma State where he majored in economics.

[6] The pick used to select Pettigrew was originally acquired by the Lions in a trade that sent Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys.

[7] The best game of his rookie season came on November 22 against the Cleveland Browns: he caught six passes for 72 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.

Pettigrew suffered a knee injury during the opening drive of the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit.

[8] On December 1, 2009, Pettigrew was officially placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of the 2009 season.

[17] In a December 13, 2015, game against the St. Louis Rams, Pettigrew suffered a torn ACL.

[19] Pettigrew started out the 2016 on the PUP list to recover from his torn ACL the previous season.

[22][23] Pettigrew was arrested on July 9, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, accused of aggravated assault after an argument arose regarding an unpaid limo fee.