Canadian QB Kurtis Rourke ‘did great job’ with San Francisco 49ers in first NFL preseason game

Photo courtesy: San Francisco 49ers/Kym Fortino.

Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke made a positive impression on San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak with his first NFL preseason outing with the team.

“Especially it being his first, real competitive football game in almost two years, he did a great job of handling the huddle, the emotions of it, the operation was really clean. On top of that, I thought he executed really well, so I’m really pleased with how he plays,” Kubiak told the media.

“Any young player who hasn’t played yet — he’s not a rookie, but he is effectively a rookie — you go into that first preseason game, it does mean a lot to those guys. It’s their first time playing in the NFL, suiting up and being in a stadium. I think any time that’s the case, guys are going to feel a little nervous. That’s how it should be, it means they care, it means it matters to them. He admittedly felt that way, but it didn’t affect how he plays. That means he was prepared and he was ready for the moment, and I thought his play showed that.”

Rourke started Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans. He completed 12-of-14 pass attempts for 101 yards and rushed three times for 14 yards. The 25-year-old led an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, which was capped by a one-yard run by Patrick Taylor Jr.

The six-foot-four, 220-pound passer was pulled from the exhibition game midway through the second quarter after he suffered an injury to his ribs. The 49ers stated his return was questionable, 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.

“I don’t think it’ll be long, though. I think he needs to heal up a little bit and get him back out there, but we don’t think it’s anything long-term,” Kubiak said about Rourke’s setback.

The Oakville, Ont. native started training camp as San Francisco’s third-string quarterback behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones, neither of whom dressed for the team’s first preseason game.

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

“He’s a really young player who’s got a bright future with a lot of room to grow, but that is why we drafted him: we thought he was an NFL quarterback. I think we saw a lot of talent. He was probably better than a seventh-round pick, but he had an injury in college that we knew he wasn’t going to be able to play much his first year, and so his draft value maybe fell a little bit,” Kubiak said.

“But evaluating, we saw a guy who was an NFL thrower, who was very bright, who had the right size, and who had the chance to be a player, so we still think he is, and I think he’s taken steps in that direction, but he’s got to keep going.”

San Francisco finished third in the NFC West standings in 2025 with a 12-5 record. The 49ers last two exhibition  games are against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, Aug. 20, and Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 27.