Aaron Rodgers (Getty Images)
But the Steelers’ second-round pick out of Alabama has been refreshingly candid about the pressure of sharing a field with Aaron Rodgers , a 42-year-old playing his final NFL season and clearly not coasting through it. Bernard, selected 47th overall in the 2026 Draft, admitted during the preseason that Rodgers’ presence alone puts him on edge in a way no opponent has managed to. Because he’s just teaching me the game, he added: “At the same time, it’s like I enjoy being there with him and being under him.
Germie Bernard did not arrive at Pittsburgh expecting to feel nervous around his own quarterback. That is the Rodgers effect in plain language. Four MVP awards, a Hall of Fame trajectory, and a reputation for holding everyone around him accountable. For a rookie still learning NFL route timing and defensive tendencies, that kind of proximity to greatness is as motivating as it is terrifying. He’s giving me all the knowledge he knows about the game. That dynamic, anxiety sitting right next to gratitude, tells you a lot about how Rodgers is operating this season. Cameras caught him advising Bernard on the sideline during a recent preseason game. That is not the behavior of a quarterback mentally checked out in his final year. Bernard was productive at Alabama, but college success rarely comes with a guarantee. The NFL asks wider route trees, faster reads, and defenders who get paid specifically to stop you. Having Rodgers in his ear every day of this first season is the kind of football education most rookies never get.