The captain is staying in Buffalo.
The Bills announced on Mar. 7 that the linebacker had agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension which keeps him in Buffalo through 2029. On Mar. 10 he officially signed the contract.
"It's a great feeling," Bernard said. "You put so much work and so much effort, so much energy into it, and to feel that feeling, it's very rewarding. And it makes you want to double down on what you've done and to really improve everything that's gotten me to this point."
Bernard said he knew that he wanted to be part of a special organization like the Bills in the middle of his rookie season because of the relationships that he built within the building.
"The relationships that I've built with the guys here, the coaches, people upstairs – I think that's what helped me understand that this isn't just a business," Bernard said. "People care about you. They want to see you succeed. They want you to be successful, and on and off the field. I felt that even when I wasn't playing, so I knew it was genuine. And I knew that at the end of the day, this is where I wanted to be."
Bernard was one of four Bills to agree to an extension over the weekend, including DE Greg Rousseau, LS Reid Ferguson and QB Josh Allen. He was also the second player from the 2022 draft class to sign an extension after WR Khalil Shakir signed on Mar. 3.
"I called Khalil right after he got signed," Bernard said. "To see him sign his extension was awesome. He's a guy that from the day he stepped in, he's been consistent and has done things the right way… the same thing with Greg. He's a year older than me in the league. He's been here one year longer, but he's a dude that that has come in and elevated every single year that I've been here… It's amazing that we're an organization that wants to keep us around and wants to build with us here. So, I can't be more thankful."
Bernard said that conversations on the extension began right when the season ended and that conversations heated up between both sides over the last two weeks until the deal was agreed upon.
"I didn't really know the timeline, but I knew I wanted to be here and hopefully get a little security and be here for a long time, they expressed the same thing," Bernard said. "It's not often that you get to be around great people, great teammates, great fans and a great city, so I don't take that for granted."
He said that it is a great feeling to know that the Bills wanted him back as much as he wanted to continue being a Bill.
"I think having those conversations to where they expressed that they wanted me back, and they wanted me to be here and to help out on the defensive side of the ball, obviously, but the whole team, it's nothing like it," Bernard said.
He said that in addition to his family, he also spoke with individuals from the team as well.
"Khalil hit me up. Josh hit me up. I talked to Greg and then I talked to Matt (Milano)," Bernard said. "Everybody was happy for me and just excited that we got something done, and I was going to be here for a while."
Bernard said that he is excited to run it back with this linebacker room that will see all six players return.
"The relationship that we have together as a unit, I feel like we force each other to grow and we force each other to get better," Bernard said. "We have our guys coming back and we're all having the same mindset and the same focus and the same intentionality of what we want to get done and what we want to accomplish this year, so it's gonna be fun."
