Nathan Rourke signs with fourth NFL team since leaving CFL

Former CFL star Nathan Rourke is on the move once again in the NFL.

Today, the Atlanta Falcons announced that they’d signed Rourke to a contract, becoming the fourth team the former BC Lions star has played.

Rourke was released by the New York Giants last week, while also having spent time over the last two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots.

A native of Victoria, BC, Rourke did not take a single regular season snap last year. He still made his mark in an impressive preseason with the Jaguars, where he completed 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

In 2022, Rourke had a remarkable campaign for the BC Lions in his first year as a starter, throwing for 3,349 yards and 25 TDs in just 10 starts, winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award along the way.

Rourke enters a crowded QB room in the Falcons organization, however.

They signed former Washington and Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract this past offseason, while also taking Michael Penix Jr. at eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft following his appearance with the Washington Huskies in this past year’s College Football National Championship Game.

While Rourke might have a tough shot at getting game action in the NFL, he seems content to continue pushing at trying to crack down the door in multiple organizations to get a shot.

“Ultimately the answer here is, I wouldn’t not want to come back to the CFL. My experience there was super positive. If I do come back to the CFL, it would be because all NFL opportunities are closed, like there’s no more doors open there,” Rourke said in an Instagram video back in January.

“The NFL has always been the dream, to be able to play in the NFL and have success there, be a starter there. And until those possibilities are closed, at this point, that’s the only time I would return to the CFL.”

The Falcons open their preseason on August 9 against the Miami Dolphins.

You might also like:
• BC Place filling up quickly already for Vancouver's Grey Cup game