Canadian QB Nathan Rourke felt what he’d done in CFL ‘was not valued’ by NFL

Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke believes it all could have been different if not for one move that was made while he was in the NFL.

That transaction occurred on Dec. 19, 2023 when the New England Patriots claimed Rourke off waivers after the Jacksonville Jaguars tried to put him down on the practice squad for a third time.

“I probably would still be there, to be honest. I did see that they had a plan for me. They envisioned a future for me being a number two at some point, hopefully, sooner rather than later,” Rourke explained.

“You see the off-season moves they made this past year. I always did see Jacksonville as a stepping stone somewhere else, but you never know in the NFL with injuries and people going down when that opportunity would come.”

After an extensive NFL workout tour, Rourke signed with the Jags and impressed during three preseason games. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions while carrying the ball 14 times for 39 yards plus one touchdown.

“You have a better chance when you’re a two than when you’re a three. I did feel like they were working me in the right direction to be able to take over that role at some point, but we’ll never know and things kind of went in a different direction,” Rourke said.

The six-foot-two, 209-pound QB earned a spot on the practice squad and Jacksonville activated him for three regular season games. Then-head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick had him on the 53-man roster for the final three games in New England and eventually elevated him to backup, which Rourke felt was a “huge accomplishment” to reach the goal he set entering that season.

The Victoria, B.C. native earned over $524,708 USD in his first NFL season. He attended organized training activities in New York after being claimed by the Giants on waivers on May 7. The G-Men let him go days into training camp, which led to him working out and signing with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 1.

Just eight days later, Rourke entered Atlanta’s first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, even though he’d been told the previous day there would be no playing time. It came as a “surprise” when the coaching staff called him to go in for the fourth quarter.

“I hadn’t got any practice reps. I had been relying on mental reps and got thrown in there in a system that I didn’t know. Had to call the plays — sometimes I didn’t really know what the words meant, but I had to call it,” Rourke said.

“I was doing my best out there and would have loved an opportunity to be able to show the front office and the coaching staff how well I could improve from week to week, but that didn’t happen.”

Two days after the game, the Falcons waived Rourke and he passed through waivers unclaimed. Rourke told his agent, Greg Brookey, to schedule a call with the B.C. Lions. His time with the Patriots, Giants, and especially the Falcons pushed him away from the NFL.

“The frustration had been building being in many different rooms, but essentially being in the same situation. I’ve been on three teams this year I was really the lowest priority. I felt like I did everything I could to get better and to try to improve,” Rourke said.

“I was really discouraged with the fact that I had given something up to be able to go and chase a dream that really wasn’t coming the way that I thought it should. I didn’t have the support or the belief from other people. That’s what you really need, I feel.”

The 26-year-old signed a three-year contract with B.C. that includes $749,200 in hard money in 2025 and $809,000 in hard money in 2026. There are $6,000 in award incentives available in both seasons, taking his earning potential to $755,200 and $815,000 respectively each year.

“There’s been opportunity here. The people in the organization do believe in me and have given me an opportunity to succeed. Those are all ingredients that I don’t feel like I ever had in the NFL. My intention is to play out my contract in the CFL with the Lions,” Rourke said.

Rourke’s compensation for the 2024 season checks in at $250,000. In the two subsequent seasons, he’ll earn $200,000 in marketing money, which does not count against the league’s salary cap. As such, his cap number for 2025 is $549,200 and $609,000 for 2026.

“I hope to be able to prove my worth in terms of that contract. I want it to show up in Grey Cups and consistent playoff performances. I came in mid-season, that’s always tricky, but I think that’s the faith they have placed in me — I take tremendous pride and honour in that,” Rourke said.

In 2022, Rourke completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with the B.C. Lions. He also rushed 39 times for 304 yards and seven touchdowns, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award despite missing half the season with a Lisfranc injury. Proving himself in the CFL was not respected by some people in the NFL.

“I certainly felt that what I had done in the CFL or the experience that I had in the CFL was not valued. I was treated as the young guy, even though I was older than some of those players that they had drafted. That experience of leading locker rooms, being a captain in a professional league, never carried any weight,” Rourke said.

“I didn’t feel like that was given any credence. I feel like there was certainly things that I thought they’d have more respect for, the league and the players that come out of it — there’s a ton of talent up here. I certainly felt like there was aspects of it that going into it I believed in or leaned into a little bit too much.”

“I think a lot of times with guys coming from the CFL without that financial investment, people aren’t going to be able to see that opportunity through in contrast to a draft pick, where they give them a ton of money up front.”

“They’re going to give them a chance to be able to prove themselves right rather than this underdog guy coming from Canada or the CFL. I definitely felt like that was one of the overpowering, blatant lessons I learned from the business of the NFL.”

Rourke had been keeping tabs on the Lions while south of the border and knew Vernon Adams Jr. was injured. He wanted to develop and actually play football, two things that were not happening in the NFL while the process was wearing on him.

“I understand what’s on the other side of the fence, it’s not always greener,” Rourke said. “I was a little bit naive, but I don’t regret that decision going in and doing it and seeing what was out there. It will help inform my decision if there’s a next time.”