Nathan Rourke is officially headed to the NFL.
The former BC Lions QB is signing a futures deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he will have every opportunity to earn the number 2 spot behind incumbent starter Trevor Lawrence.
Despite missing time due to a Lisfranc injury in 2022, Rourke completed 78.7% of his passes while throwing for 3,349yds and 25TDs. As a result, the 24 year old was named the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian.
In the weeks following the Grey Cup, Rourke worked out for 12 NFL clubs including the Giants, Chiefs, Bengals, Chargers, Raiders, Jaguars, Vikings, Broncos, Colts, Buccaneers, Cardinals, and Browns.
While there was mutual interest involving several franchises, the Oakville, ON native ultimately chose the Jaguars due in large part to their willingness to guarantee money on the 1st year of his deal.
Rourke will also join a familiar face amongst CFL circles in Florida as Grey Cup winning quarterback Henry Burris is currently an offensive quality control coach with the Jags. According to reports, Burris was a major advocate for the signing of Rourke and will have a hand in getting the former Lions signal caller acclimated to Doug Pederson’s system.
The Jaguar’s current backup quarterback is journeyman C.J. Beathard, who has 5 years worth of NFL experience splitting time between the 49ers and Jaguars. Since joining Jacksonville, Beathard has thrown only 13 passes for 68yds and an interception across two seasons.
   With the signing, Rourke becomes the CFL’s first QB to sign with an NFL franchise since Chris Streveler inked a contract with the Arizona Cardinals following his Grey Cup win back in 2019.
Photo: Doctorindy. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.