Rourke gets a chance to restart NFL career
Sorry, CFL fans. Those hoping for a return of Nathan Rourke to the league will have to wait.
The New York Giants claimed the former B.C. Lions star off waivers from the New England Patriots just before the deadline on Tuesday, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Pats had waived the Victoria-born quarterback earlier this week, but the Giants snatched him up before he could become a free agent again. The Giants have three other QBS on their roster currently: Daniel Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy Devito.
Devito’s 2023 season was exactly the kind of opportunity Rourke had been looking for. When Jones went down with a season-ending ACL tear, the Giants were already concerned about his future with the team because of a series of poor performances and inability to stay healthy.
Devito came in and went 4-5 — including a three-game win streak — and became a New York icon in the process.
The Giants didn’t draft any quarterbacks this year, but signed Lock from the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year, $5M contact, with the promise he could fight for the No. 1 job .
“I said it in January after the season, our expectation was Daniel would be our starter and we brought Drew Lock to be his backup and Tommy (Devito) is a backup, so that’s where we are and that’s how we’ll move forward this season,” Giants GM Joe Schoen told media recently. “Daniel is still under contract for three more years. As it sits today, that’s where we are.”
But New York can get out of Jones deal — a $160M, four-year signing in 2023 — after the upcoming season, and have been making noise that they might just do that.
Rourke was poached by the Patriots off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice roster, but joined a team in the middle of a staffing upheaval, with Bill Belichick pushed halfway out the door by the time he got there.
The Pats released Rourke after drafting two quarterbacks — Drake Maye third overall and Joe Milton in the sixth round, 193rd overall — and adding Jacoby Brissett to the QB room along with current expected No. 2 Bailey Zappe. New England also traded Mac Jones to Jacksonville win March.
Many thought the news of Toronto Argonauts QB Chad Kelly’s suspension — nine games — might mean the end of his time with the Boatmen, allowing an easy return to stardom in the CFL for Rourke.
But he’s determined to continue his NFL journey, and hasn’t seriously contemplated a return north until all avenues are exhausted. At 25 years old, he’s in the prime of his career, and even a brief foray back to the CFL would likely mean the end of any NFL interest by the time he was ready to return.