B.C. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke is scheduled to work out for the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday, according to a report from TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
The visit marks the Canadian pivot’s ninth NFL workout this offseason, following tryouts for the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Rourke is coming off a sensational season in the CFL during which he completed 78.7 percent of his pass attempts for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran the football 39 times for 304 yards and seven scores, becoming the first quarterback to win the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award since 1980.
The 24-year-old went 8-1 as a starter before undergoing surgery in August to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his foot. Though the injury was originally thought to be season-ending, he was able to return for the final week of the regular season and play the first quarter of a meaningless contest against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He started the West Semi-Final the following week and threw for 321 yards with two touchdowns in a 30-16 victory over the Calgary Stampeders. He and his team were eliminated from postseason contention against Winnipeg the following week after he threw for 300 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 28-20 loss in the West Final.
The six-foot-two, 209-pound passer was a three-year starter at Ohio University from 2017-2019 where he threw for 7,457 yards with 60 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He also recorded 425 carries for 2,634 yards and 49 scores along the ground but received a small amount of NFL interest coming out of the NCAA.
Early in the 2022 CFL season, Rourke garnered attention from NFL personnel people for his high level of play. It has been reported that over two-thirds of NFL teams showed interest in the Victoria B.C., native following the season, which has translated to multiple contract offers during his workout tour which include strong financial guarantees.
Rourke has one year remaining on his rookie deal with the Lions, who drafted him 15th overall in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft. However, he is able to leave early thanks to the league’s NFL window.
CFL players can begin signing NFL reserve/futures contracts on January 9.
