Oakville’s Rourke returns to B.C. Lions

Oakville’s Nathan Rourke has returned to the CFL and the B.C. Lions.

The quarterback, who failed to catch on with in the NFL and was recently released by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, signed a three-year deal with his old team on Tuesday (August 13).

“From talking to Nathan, I know how excited he is to be back with the Lions and to get going,” Lions head coach Rick Campbell said in a news release. “For this to happen, it also had to include Vernon Adams Jr. being here. Vernon will not be traded and is too good a player, too valuable a leader and a huge part of our team.”

Before being released, the 26-year-old Rourke played the entire fourth quarter in Atlanta’s preseason loss Sunday to the Miami Dolphins, completing three-of-thirteen pass attempts for 37 yards and running twice for 24 yards.

The six-foot-two, 209-pound pivot played two seasons with the Lions (2021, 2022) before jumping to the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2023 season.

He got into three regular season games with the Jaguars, passing for 348 yards and one touchdown, while rushing the football 14 times for 39 yards.

The New England Patriots claimed Rourke off waivers after the 2024 NFL Draft, but his stay would be a short one when the New York Giants claimed him off waivers from the Patriots in May.

The Falcons signed the former CFL quarterback on August 1 after his release from Giants.

A second-round pick of the Lions in the 2020 CFL Draft, Rourke won the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award despite missing half the season with a Lisfranc injury in 2022.

He completed 78.7 percent of passes, airing it out for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while also adding another 304 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

The B.C. Lions play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday (August 18). Kickoff is 7 p.m.