Aaron Rodgers believes Germie Bernard’s biggest hurdle is mental, not physical, and the advice is simple: learn the offense inside and out. That message matters because Bernard is set to make his NFL preseason debut on Thursday, when the Steelers host the Packers at 7 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium.
Rodgers has made no secret of the way he views young receivers. Veteran wideouts, he suggested, tend to fit his preferred style more quickly because they process the offense faster. In that sense, Bernard’s task is not just to run routes and win reps, but to understand the details well enough that his athletic ability can show up at full speed.
Why Rodgers sees the challenge as mental
Rodgers put it plainly: “I think it’s 90% mental.” He added that even the fastest and most athletic players can look slower if they do not fully know what they are doing. For a rookie, that is a demanding standard, but it also explains why Rodgers keeps coming back to the same point with Bernard.
“Germie just needs to learn the offense inside and out,” Rodgers said. “When he does that, he has a lot of great physical traits.” Those traits are easy to see. Rodgers described Bernard as sudden, quick to get his feet in the ground and blessed with natural hands. He also praised his practice habits, calling them phenomenal.
That is the framework for Bernard’s early Steelers career. He was drafted after Pittsburgh traded up six spots in the second round, and the club clearly sees enough in him to make him part of a wider receiver rebuild. Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard join DK Metcalf in Steelers WR overhaul shows how much attention that group is already drawing, even before Bernard has played a preseason snap.
Bernard’s attitude fits the assignment
Bernard sounds as if he understands exactly what is being asked of him. He described himself as “very detail oriented” and said he is making sure he studies the plays, knows his assignments and asks as many questions as he can. He also called himself “a very open book,” adding that he is willing to take advice from anybody if it helps him get better.
That is the sort of response Rodgers is likely to value. The quarterback’s comments were not a dismissal of Bernard’s talent. If anything, they were an endorsement of it. But the point was clear: natural ability alone will not be enough if the rookie cannot process the offense quickly.
There is also a useful reminder in Rodgers’ history with young receivers. The numbers he cited underline how development can take time. Santonio Holmes was selected 25th overall by the Steelers in 2006, but Rodgers pointed to later examples such as Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, each of whom had rookie seasons that did not match their eventual impact.
Nelson caught 33 passes and scored two touchdowns in 2008 without reaching 450 receiving yards. Cobb had 25 catches and one touchdown in 2011 and also fell short of 450 yards. Adams caught 38 passes and scored three touchdowns in 2014, again without getting to 450 yards. The message is obvious enough: a rookie’s first year is often about learning to think like a pro before the production catches up.
For Bernard, Thursday is the next step. The Steelers will want to see how his versatility translates after he has lined up both wide and in the slot during training camp. Rodgers will be watching for the same thing, only with a veteran’s eye for whether the rookie is absorbing the offense quickly enough to trust on the field.
If Bernard can do that, his physical tools should start to matter more. If he cannot, Rodgers has already made clear that the learning curve will be the first thing standing in the way.
