The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering an exciting season in 2026 as the organization is ushering in a new coaching staff led by Mike McCarthy. He is an experienced head coach that has an offensive focus, and both of those factors snap some trends that the franchise has followed in the past when it comes to hiring head coaches. His offensive mind has some fans excited as that side of the ball has been a bit of a struggle for the Steelers in recent years. The offense has been inefficient and hopefully that will change under McCarthy and some of the new offensive additions.
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Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers (left) speaks with wide receiver Germie Bernard (right) during a preseason game in 2026.
The franchise has made plenty of new offensive additions. Rico Dowdle is a new face in the Steelers' backfield, while Michael Pittman Jr. is an exciting veteran wide receiver that was brought over from the Indianapolis Colts via trade just before the start of free agency. The wide receiver room welcomed another exciting piece in Germie Bernard who was drafted in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh. The franchise moved up in the draft order to land him, which means there is a lot of belief in the young playmaker.
Bernard has impressed during the preseason and throughout training camp, but a lot of fans are curious about how he might gel with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was asked about the rookie wide receiver during a recent appearance on Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, and he wants people to temper their expectations.
"Well, I think anytime you bring in a young player, unless they're Calvin Johnson, you have to temper your expectations," Rodgers explained. "Justin Jefferson as well, Randy Moss, there's like a handful of guys who've been like dominant receivers. It's one of the most difficult positions I think to transfer from college to the NFL. It usually takes guys a year or two. The best guys I had in Green Bay, if you think about all of them, from Greg Jennings to James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, their rookie years were not explosive years."
Rodgers wants fans to be sure to temper their expectations with the rookie, and he notes that wide receiver is one of the harder positions to transition to from college to the NFL. He went on to say that it is harder than both sides of the line, while most fans probably don't think of it in that regard. It explains a little bit why Rodgers is so hard on his younger wide receivers.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) celebrates with wide receiver Germie Bernard (17) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Rodgers has a history of being hard on players at wide receiver, and his thoughts on the position should make some sense. He understands how hard it is, and he is just trying to help younger guys take steps in the right direction. He did have some praise for Bernard as well.
"So, I think you need to temper expectations for sure with Germie," Rodgers said. "But he's a great kid. He's done everything right. He's gotten better, I think, throughout training camp."
Bernard will enter the season as the fourth wide receiver, but he should have a chance to surpass Roman Wilson at some point. Both are versatile wide receivers, so they should each see the field a decent amount.
Steelers Should Want Germie Bernard To Seek A Larger Role
Bernard is going to be behind Wilson, and the goal should be for him to surpass the third-year wide receiver by the end of the 2026 season. He showed flashes of being a huge playmaker during the preseason games, and it would be nice to have him become a big piece of the offense. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands, and Pittsburgh's offense has been missing that in recent years.
What do you think about Rodgers' comments on Bernard? What do you expect from the rookie? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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