The New England Patriots are likely to select a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and may pursue a quarterback in free agency when it starts next week, which might impact B.C.’s Nathan Rourke.
The New England Patriots are reportedly poised to deal one of their quarterbacks, but admirers of former BC Lions pivot Nathan Rourke need not get too thrilled just yet.
According to various league sources, the Patriots are trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Boston Herald, for example, believes New England will receive a sixth-round draft pick in return. The transaction cannot be finalized until the league’s new season begins on Wednesday.
According to league sources, Rourke, 25, re-signed with New England earlier this month as an exclusive rights free agent. New England grabbed him off waivers from Jacksonville in December. The Jaguars signed Rourke as a free agent in January 2023, following his good performance with the Lions in 2022.
Pundits expect the Patriots, who finished 4-13, to select a quarterback with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft on April 25, and Herald has promised that they will also sign a passer in free agency, which begins Wednesday.
In their coverage of the Jones deal, the Herald referred to Rourke as a “journeyman backup.”
Rourke did make both Jacksonville’s and New England’s active rosters, but he never played. He gained a lot of attention for a highlight-reel play during the Jaguars’ exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys. He evaded a slew of tacklers before throwing a touchdown pass with a Dallas defender wrapped around his waist.
Bailey Zappe, who finished the season as New England’s starter, is still on the roster. Rourke was moved up to No. 2 on the Patriots’ depth chart for the season finale, but he did not play in the 17-3 loss to the New York Jets on Jan. 7. Zappe was 12-of-30 for 88 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Rourke, who was born in Victoria and raised in Oakville, Ont., had led the B.C. Lions to an 8-1 start in 2022 when it was revealed that he had suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot in a 28-10 win over Saskatchewan on Aug. 19 and would need surgery, putting him on the sidelines for several weeks.
At the time, he led the CFL in passing yards (3,281) and touchdown passes (25) and had been named one of the league’s top three performers in six of the previous nine weeks. He returned for the regular season finale on October 28 and led the Lions to a victory against the Calgary Stampeders in the West semifinals before losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West final.
Despite missing so much time, Rourke was awarded the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian for the season, becoming the first quarterback to get the award since Gerry Dattilio of the Montreal Alouettes in 1980.
