Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke has gone unclaimed on the NFL’s waiver wire following his release from the New York Giants. He is now a free agent.
The 26-year-old joined the Giants on May 7 when he was claimed off waivers from the New England Patriots. His addition was praised by head coach Brian Daboll at the time with Rourke drawing positive reviews from assistant general manager Brandon Brown during organized team activities. He opened training camp fourth on the team’s depth chart behind Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito and was waived on Sunday.
Sources indicated they weren’t surprised Rourke went unclaimed as NFL training camps only opened one week ago, which means injuries haven’t started to pile up. The six-foot-two, 209-pound passer remains committed to the NFL for 2024 and isn’t expected to remain a free agent for long.
Rourke finished the 2023 season with the Patriots, dressing for the team’s final three regular season games. He served as the primary backup for New England’s regular-season finale but was waived after the team selected two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including University of North Carolina product Drake Maye with the third overall pick.
Rourke started the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards and one touchdown and running the ball 14 times for 39 yards and one score during the preseason. He was moved to the team’s practice roster after training camp and was activated for three regular season games.
In total, the dual-threat quarterback dressed for six regular season NFL games and earned $519,668 USD.
In 2022, Rourke completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with the B.C. Lions. He also rushed 39 times for 304 yards and seven touchdowns, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award despite missing half the season with a Lisfranc injury.
