The Atlanta Falcons had their eyes on Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke long before he signed with the team on Thursday.
“Rourke was very high on our list and a guy that we wanted to see and have a chance to get some action,” head coach Raheem Morris told the media ahead of practice at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Friday. “Got a chance to work him out, we wanted to sign him and maybe get a chance to see a little bit more of him.”
The Falcons brought Rourke in for a workout on Wednesday, getting an in-person look at the 26-year-old following his release from the New York Giants. He impressed enough to land a one-year, $915,000 USD contract but it wasn’t the first time that the team had tried to bring him in. Atlanta originally put in a claim for the Canadian when he was waived by New England after the NFL Draft, only for the G-Men to scoop him up thanks to their higher waiver priority.
Undrafted rookie John Paddock was let go to make space for Rourke but the Falcons still have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL. They signed four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract worth $180 million USD this offseason and drafted 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.
Given that backlog, bringing in a new fourth quarterback may seem inconsequential but Morris insists that Atlanta’s front office will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of improvement.
“Our personnel department is always going to be active. We’ve got one of the more active personnel departments in the National Football League. We’re constantly turning our roster over. We’re constantly working people out. They are obsessed with their ability to go find people for us,” he remarked when asked about the signing.
“They do such a good job at the bottom of the roster, turning that thing over continuously and constantly looking for better players. Looking for good players and how we can improve our roster.”
Rourke is expected to compete with Heinicke for the number three job in the preseason. The former XFL quarterback, who has started 29 career NFL games, re-negotiated his contract this offseason and nearly halved his salary cap hit in exchange for $3.32 million USD upfront in 2024. That deal was struck to provide Heinicke with extra insurance against the growing possibility he would be released, though the Falcons can still recoup $1.21 million USD in salary if Rourke unseats him.
The native of Oakville, Ont. split 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 will open the preseason when they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Friday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
