Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke has signed with the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL team announced on Thursday.
Rourke worked out for the Falcons on Wednesday after going unclaimed via the NFL’s waiver wire. He impressed enough to earn a one-year deal worth $915,000 USD.
The 26-year-old was released by the New York Giants earlier this week after joining the team on May 7 as a waiver pickup from New England. Atlanta reportedly put in a waiver claim on Rourke at that time, though New York secured his rights as they had higher waiver priority.
Rourke spent the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Patriots and was active for six regular season games, earning over $500,000 USD. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards and one touchdown during the preseason and carried the ball 14 times for 39 yards and one score.
The six-foot-two, 209-pound passer was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 2022 as a member of the B.C. Lions, completing 78.7 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 39 times for 304 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing the second half of the season with a Lisfranc injury.
The Falcons revamped their quarterback room this past off-season, signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract worth $180 million USD and drafting Michael Penix Jr. out of the University of Washington with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team also has nine-year veteran Taylor Heinicke on the roster. John Paddock, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Illinois, was released to accommodate Rourke.
The native of Oakville, Ont. will compete with Heinicke for the number three job in the preseason. The former XFL quarterback, who has started 29 career NFL games with Carolina, Washington, and Atlanta, re-negotiated his contract this offseason and nearly halved his salary cap hit in exchange for $3.32 million USD upfront in 2024. The deal was struck to provide Heinicke with extra insurance against the growing possibility he would be released, though the Falcons can still save $1.21 million USD in salary if they were to cut ties before the season.
The Falcons will open the preseason when they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Friday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
