Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke still believes he has what it takes to make it as an NFL signal-caller, even though the road toward that goal has been treacherous so far.
“It’s just been an ongoing struggle to try to get into a great opportunity,” the newly signed member of the Atlanta Falcons admitted in an interview with TSN 1050’s Matthew Cauz on Wednesday.
“The last 15 months has been four different NFL offences and four different teams so it’s been a lot of learning about the game and a lot of picking things up as you go. But it’s been exciting and I continue to look forward to getting the opportunity to be on the field and play some meaningful snaps.”
Rourke officially joined the Falcons on August 1 following a successful workout with the team, marking the latest stop on a circuitous NFL journey. The 26-year-old originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars before last season believing he would have a future with that organization and a chance to compete for the number two job behind Trevor Lawrence. Neither of those things came to pass.
After being yoyoed between the practice squad and gameday roster several times throughout the 2023 campaign, Rourke was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots and dressed for the final three games of the year. Though he was promoted to the role of primary backup for the regular season finale, the Canadian pivot found himself the victim of a regime change in Foxborough and was waived after the Pats selected a pair of quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including third-overall pick Drake Maye.
He was briefly claimed by the New York Giants as offseason insurance while starter Daniel Jones recovered from injury but was released less than a week into training camp after receiving zero reps in team periods. Now in Atlanta, he still has faith that he can climb the mountain top to a starting job, drawing inspiration from a notable name in the past.
“I look at people like Tony Romo, who worked his way up the depth chart with the Dallas Cowboys and played for Bill Parcells. It took him four years to be able to be the starter there for the Cowboys and really break through but that came with doing some time and then having to continue to learn and develop on your own, maybe not having the reps that you want,” Rourke explained.
“Maybe in my case, I have to go through many different organizations to find the right fit or the best situation, but I really feel like at this point my understanding of football and being able to see so many different perspectives on it, that’s going to help me rather than hinder me in the long run.”
Romo, who has since gone onto a wildly successful broadcasting career, went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois University in 2003 and did not see meaningful action for the Cowboys until mid-way through the 2006 season. He went on to enjoy a decade-long tenure as the starting quarterback for America’s Team, throwing for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, and 117 interceptions en route to four Pro Bowl appearances.
It was excellent play over several preseasons that helped earn Romo an opportunity to lead the NFL’s marquee franchise and Rourke has proven himself capable of doing the same. Last year with the Jags, he completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards and one touchdown, while carrying the ball 14 times for 39 yards and another score over three preseason outings.
He’ll need to replicate those results with the Falcons but that won’t be easy. A crowded quarterback room with two massive offseason additions in high-priced free agent Kirk Cousins and first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. means there are few live reps to go around in practice.
“Pro football is about getting your guys who are going to be playing their reps and quarterback is a different position where you’ve only got one of them on the field at a time. I’ll be in a situation where hopefully I get in, hopefully I get some meaningful reps on Friday, but those reps in practice aren’t really available,” Rourke acknowledged.
“We’re really simulating what could happen during the season where something could happen on gameday, but you don’t take a physical rep the entire week. You’re really going in based off of mental reps. You still have to prepare like you’re going to play, which is definitely the hardest part, but the physical reps you just don’t have time for. There are different priorities.”
Regardless of the number of reps he’s received, the Falcons have shown legitimate interest in the native of Oakville, Ont. and attempted to claim him once before, only to be leapfrogged on the waiver wire by the Giants. Head coach Raheem Morris said Rourke was “very high” on the team’s list of potential pickups and he is expected to compete with nine-year NFL veteran Taylor Heinicke for the number three job in the preseason. The former XFL QB has started 29 career NFL games and is entering his second season with Atlanta, though releasing him could save the team $1.21 million USD.
That battle will commence in earnest when the Falcons visit the Miami Dolphins on Friday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Rourke is trying his best to temper expectations after arriving in town less than a week ago.
“At this point, with the situation that I’m in, to be able to get in I think would be a testament to the work that I’ve put in to try to learn this offence in that amount of time,” he said. “Obviously, in the preseason, especially with the first-year offence here, we’re not going to show everything so that definitely works to my advantage. But to be able to digest and be able to execute what they’ve put on my plate, I think would be a great success, especially for this first game.”
Rourke was active for six regular season games last year with the Jaguars and Patriots, earning over $500,000 USD. He is scheduled to collect $915,000 USD this year but only if he can stick on the Falcons’ active roster for the entirety of the 2024 season.
That money makes taking advantage of every NFL opportunity the best financial choice for now, though it is certain that Rourke would become the CFL’s highest-paid player should he ever return to Canada. The 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian has not shut the door on that possibility, recently saying he would “love” to return to the B.C. Lions at some point and calling the organization “family.”
However, he credits his wife, Emily, for supporting his dream through this chapter of team-hopping and short-term rentals, rather than advocating for the stability of the couple’s offseason home in Vancouver.
“It takes a very special type of person to be able to continue to live a life of uncertainty and not necessarily knowing where we’re going to be the next month,” Rourke said. “I think at some point, it’s easy to be like, ‘What are we doing this stuff for? It doesn’t seem to be working. Why don’t we go to something that’s more stable, maybe?’ But she’s continuing to support me in my pursuit of what I believe is really attainable and possible and I love her very much for that.”
The six-foot-two, 209-pound passer completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his lone season as a pro football starter with the Lions. He also rushed 39 times for 304 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing the second half of the year with a Lisfranc injury.
He still believes he has what it takes to replicate that success south of the border but is focused on not getting ahead of himself.
“Ultimately, I just want to be able to find a place for this year and if that doesn’t happen with the Falcons, be able to put out some solid film that might lead my journey elsewhere,” Rourke said. “I’m really at the point with all these moves and everything where I’ve just kind of stuck to the mantra of ‘controlling what I can control.’ That’s learning this offence as best I can and when I do get those opportunities, take advantage of them.”
Atlanta will travel to Miami on Friday, before visiting the Baltimore Ravens on August 17 and hosting the Jaguars on August 23. Rourke’s fate will be decided by Tuesday, August 27 at 4:00 p.m. EDT, when NFL teams will officially trim their rosters to 53 players.
