It would be understandable if Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard felt additional pressure while playing for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s only a 4-time MVP and one of the greatest to ever play football.
But Bernard explained during an appearance on the Not Just Football podcast with Cameron Heyward on Wednesday that he not only doesn’t feel pressure but that Rodgers helps him relax.
“Being out there with him, he’s so poised and resilient, it just makes you not rush, or it makes you just play the game how you’re supposed to,” Bernard told Heyward on Wednesday. “It makes you have fun with it.
“There’s never stress when you’re out there with him because he doesn’t have any stress.”
Bernard is certainly playing like he doesn’t have any stress. He isn’t playing like a rookie either.
In each of the past two games, Bernard has reached at least 80 receiving yards. This past Sunday, he scored his first touchdown — the game-winner in overtime of a 26-19 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rookie Germie Bernard Shining With Steelers
It takes a lot to earn Rodgers’s trust. So much so that expectations were probably lower for Bernard than other top receivers from the 2026 draft class.
But with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson injured, Rodgers has been forced to trust the rookie the past two weeks. Bernard has rewarded his veteran quarterback.
Despite Bernard’s hot streak, Rodgers sounded like he didn’t want to raise the bar too much on the rookie after beating the Buccaneers. But the signal-caller admitted it’s difficult not to do that with Bernard playing so well.
“You need to ease expectations, but there comes a time when the confidence starts to match the potential, and I think we’re reaching that time with Germie,” said Rodgers in his Week 6 postgame press conference. “Very proud of him.”
Bernard gave a lot of credit to Rodgers for that earned trust. During the podcast appearance, the rookie receiver told Heyward the quarterback coached him throughout training camp. That prepared Bernard for moments like the one he faced against Tampa Bay.
“Me being able to know how [Rodgers] thinks has really helped build that trust for me to be out there and play with him,” added Bernard.
Aaron Rodgers Takes Over in Win Over Buccaneers
During his appearance on Heyward’s podcast, Bernard dropped an interesting detail with a message Rodgers shared the offense late in the comeback victory against the Buccaneers.
“Aaron was like, ‘Listen, guys, I’m gonna take a little bit of control. I’m gonna start calling some of the plays that we need, and we just need to execute,'” said Bernard.
For a while Sunday, it didn’t look like the Steelers were going to win or even score a touchdown. The team trailed 16-3 entering the fourth quarter.
But with an uptempo pace and Rodgers controlling more of the play-calling, the Steelers orchestrated their largest fourth quarter comeback since the 2002-03 playoffs.
During his latest podcast episode this week, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger commented on the impact the uptempo offense had on the team’s offense late in Week 6. Roethlisberger argued the team should use it more often while giving additional control to Rodgers.
With Bernard’s comments, the receiver confirmed that Rodgers got the Steelers into the plays they needed in the comeback. So, it might indeed be worth allowing the future Hall of Fame quarterback to do more of that earlier in games going forward.
Steelers Rookie WR Germie Bernard Speaks out on Aaron Rodgers