Oakville QB getting fresh start with NFL’s New England Patriots and legendary coach

Oakville’s Nathan Rourke is getting another shot at being a quarterback in the National Football League.

The former standout CFL player has been signed to the active roster of the New England Patriots, where he’ll be guided by legendary coach Bill Belichek. the winner of six Super Bowls.

After winning the Most Outstanding Canadian award in the CFL in 2022, while playing for the B.C. Lions, Rourke signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.

He has spent most of this season bouncing between the team’s active roster and practice squad, never actually appearing in a game.

Rourke, 25, was claimed on waivers by the Patriots after they lost their third-string quarterback earlier in the day.

He will now compete with a pair of struggling quaterbacks, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, for playing time with the Patriots. The Pats are nearing the end of their worst season in decades, sitting at 3-11.

Rourke played minor football for the Burlington Stampeders and starred for the Ohio Bobcats of the NCAA.