Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard risked rubbing Aaron Rodgers the wrong way after stating his new quarterback "might be older" than his mom
Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on
Aaron Rodgers is entering his second season with the Steelers(Image: Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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One Pittsburgh Steelers rookie risked angering Aaron Rodgers by making a dig about his age.
Rodgers, 42, is entering his 22nd NFL season, and these days, many of his teammates are significantly younger than him. Some of the Steelers’ rookie class are even young enough to be his child.
Of course, the future Hall of Fame quarterback knows this, and it hasn’t deterred him from lacing up his cleats for one final season. But he still won’t appreciate what his new rookie wide receiver, Germie Bernard, said about his elder age as the two continue to get assimilated during training camp and preseason.
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“I'm 22. He's been playing for that long. I think he might be older than my mom,” Bernard said on the Not Just Football podcast with Cam Heyward.
Bernard, who Pittsburgh selected with the 47th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was born on Dec. 2, 2003. At the time, Rodgers was a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, playing as the Golden Bears’ starting quarterback.
In fact, he had just wrapped a strong 2003 regular season with back-to-back games of at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns and was a few weeks out from leading his team to a thrilling 52-49 win over Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl.
Fast forward almost 23 years, and Rodgers, who was drafted into the NFL in 2005, is still doing it. He may not be one of the premier arms in the league anymore, but his impact has been clear on his new Steelers teammates, including Bernard.
Germie Bernard #17 of the Pittsburgh Steelers smiles
Germie Bernard is being touted by Rodgers ahead of his rookie season(Image: Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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“I'm not going to lie. I lowkey be having a little bit of anxiety when I'm out there with him,” Bernard told Heyward, who is another wily veteran in Pittsburgh. “Just because I don't really want to mess up... but at the same time, I enjoy being there with him and being under him.”
“He's just teaching me the game. He's giving me all the knowledge he knows about the game.”
Rodgers has also praised his new rookie, although his complementary words did come before Bernard’s dig at him. “I think he's got a really bright future,” Rodgers told reporters of the 22-year-old.
“I think it's 90 percent mental,” Rodgers continued. “Even the fastest, most athletic guys, if you don't know what you're doing completely, you're going to play slower.”
“And Germie just needs to learn the offense inside and out. When he does that, he has a lot of great physical traits. He can get his feet in the ground quickly. He's very sudden. He's got natural hands.”
Rodgers speaking so highly of a rookie is no small matter, especially considering the 42-year-old has seen hundreds of prospective wide receivers come through his team's training camps over the years.
Steelers fans will have their first chance to see Rodgers and Bernard’s connection when Pittsburgh hosts the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season on Sunday, Sept. 13.