Jaguars sign Oakville’s Rourke to main roster after injury to starter

The Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League have signed Oakville’s Nathan Rourke to the 53-man roster ahead of Thursday’s (Oct. 19) game against the New Orleans Saints.

The former CFL star joins the Jaguars with current starter Trevor Lawrence questionable with a knee injury.

The signing of Rourke to the main roster Wednesday (Oct. 18) indicates he could remain with the club for several weeks. If he dresses for three games, the local quarterback will earn a minimum of $900,000 on his next NFL contract.

The local pivot had a strong preseason in three appearances with the Jaguars, completing 23-of-35 passes for 348 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

It still wasn’t enough to earn up a spot on the team as Rourke lost out in the battle for the backup role behind Lawrence to veteran C.J. Beathard.

We have signed QB Nathan Rourke from the practice squad to the active roster.https://t.co/47QDg9Nunx

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 18, 2023

Rourke agreed to a three-year deal with the Jaguars this offseason after wrapping up an impressive 2022 season with the B.C. Lions where he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian player.

With the Lions, the quarterback completed completed 255-of-324 passes (a league-high 78.7 per cent) for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 304 yards and seven touchdowns.

After finishing his college career at Ohio University, Rourke was selected in the second round (15th overall) of the 2020 CFL draft by the Lions.