Canadian QB Kurtis Rourke plays well but suffers injury in first NFL preseason action with 49ers

Photo courtesy: San Francisco 49ers

Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke made his NFL preseason debut with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in a 19-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Rourke got the start and completed 12-of-14 pass attempts for 101 yards and rushed three times for 14 yards. He led an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that was capped by a one-yard run from Patrick Taylor Jr.

The 25-year-old was pulled from the game midway through the second quarter after he suffered an injury to his ribs. The team announced that he was questionable to return, though he never retook the field.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media post-game that Rourke was taken to the hospital as a precaution after he experienced difficulty breathing. Initial X-rays did not show a broken rib, and he was later discharged.

The native of Oakville, Ont., is San Francisco’s third-string quarterback behind incumbent starter Brock Purdy and former first-round NFL draft pick Mac Jones, neither of whom dressed for Thursday’s preseason game.

49ers QB Kurtis Rourke escapes and scrambles for a first down 👀 pic.twitter.com/mVk0EmzN8D

— Alex Tran (@nineralex) August 14, 2026

The team’s fourth-string quarterback, Adrian Martinez, completed 16-of-30 pass attempts for 159 yards in relief of Rourke. The 26-year-old spent most of last season on the team’s practice roster, though he also dressed for one regular-season game.

Rourke was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie year after suffering a torn ACL. He was the first Canadian quarterback taken in the NFL draft since Jesse Palmer in 2001.

The six-foot-four, 220-pound passer finished his collegiate career at Indiana University, where he completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

He won the Jon Cornish Trophy, which is presented annually to the top Canadian player in NCAA football, and was named second-team All-Big Ten. He also placed ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Rourke is the younger brother of B.C. Lions quarterback and reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player Nathan Rourke. His exclusive CFL rights belong to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 49ers finished third in the NFC West standings in 2025 with a record of 12-5. The team will finish its preseason schedule against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, Aug. 20, and Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 27.