BC Lions make Nathan Rourke the highest paid player in the CFL
The BC Lions have made the exciting move of bringing Nathan Rourke back from the NFL — but it wasn’t cheap.
The 26-year-old’s new contract, per TSN’s Farhan Lalji, will pay him $200,000 for the remainder of this season and more than $600,000 in each of the next two seasons. It’s a massive deal that makes Rourke the highest-paid quarterback in the CFL.
Rourke will make 250k for the balance of the season and will be the highest paid player in @CFL in 2025 & 2026 at somewhere north of 600k. The 2 sides were in contact initially after he was cut by NYG. I don’t believe his interest in the #NFL is over though. @CFLonTSN https://t.co/sQePrQmL1L
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) August 13, 2024
The thrower will actually make more than $700,000 in each of his next two seasons per TSN’s Lalji. However, $200,000 per year is marketing money which does not count against the cap. Rourke will also still have the chance to pursue NFL opportunities in this new contract.
The hard money in Rourke’s deal for 2025 is $749k & 809k in 2026. 200k of that in each year is marketing money which does not count against the salary cap.
Some perspective on his 250k in 2024. I think the #BCLions could reasonably sell another 5k seats for Sunday’s game just… pic.twitter.com/302NNd6fQM— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) August 13, 2024
The Lions face off against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this Sunday and Rourke is expected to start per head coach Rick Campbell. The upper bowl at BC Place will be open so a huge crowd will get to watch the star quarterback make his return north of the border.
Rourke was a standout for the Lions in the 2022 CFL season, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. His excellent play got him noticed south of the border, and he subsequently joined the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He bounced around four different NFL organizations, most recently getting a shot with the Atlanta Falcons. He cleared waivers yesterday, marking the second time this summer that every NFL team has passed on him, and now he has returned to the CFL.
The Canadian struggled to get any serious opportunities in the NFL, never playing a regular-season snap.
The Lions can use Rourke as they’ve lost three consecutive games, putting their record at 5-4. Things went from bad to worse recently when starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who had a great start to the season, got hurt with a serious knee injury. He’s already missed a full game and is expected to miss more time.
When Adams Jr. does fully recover, the Rourke signing doesn’t mean one will be traded.
“For this to happen, it also had to include Vernon Adams Jr. being here,” said head coach Campbell in a press release. “Vernon will not be traded and is too good a player, too valuable a leader, and a huge part of our team.”
The Grey Cup is in Vancouver this year, and therefore, the Lions have a chance to compete for the historic trophy in front of their home crowd. With two of the top quarterbacks in the league, their chances just got a lot better.