{"id":249387,"date":"2025-10-30T04:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T04:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/249387\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T04:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T04:57:10","slug":"canadian-qb-nathan-rourke-explains-cfl-unforeseen-detour-comment-no-plans-to-explore-nfl-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/249387\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian QB Nathan Rourke explains CFL \u2018unforeseen detour\u2019 comment; no plans to explore NFL again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>B.C. Lions\/Jeff Vinnick<\/p>\n

After Nathan Rourke voiced his displeasure<\/a> with the Canadian Football League\u2019s rule changes, some fans questioned his authenticity.<\/p>\n

That was due to the fact he called the CFL an \u201cunforeseen detour<\/a>\u201d in his football journey when he signed an NFL contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2023. The Victoria, B.C. native and proud Canadian took an opportunity to set the record straight in a one-on-one interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t meant as any slight. I think a lot has changed over the last couple of years. To be quite frank, my goal as a kid was always to play in the NFL. I did grow up going to CFL games, went to Hamilton Ticat games at the old Ivor Wynne [Stadium], went to Argo games at the Rogers Centre, and was a\u00a0B.C. Lion fan because I was from up there and had a lot of family out there,\u201d Rourke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always followed the CFL, but I always wanted to play in the NFL. I followed\u00a0the dream of going down to [NCAA] Division I, playing in the States. Then I went\u00a0down there and I was able to experience [the NFL] myself. It was one of those\u00a0situations where the grass seemed a little bit greener on the other side, in terms of what\u2019s outside of the football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rourke outplayed veteran C.J. Beathard in the preseason<\/a>, but he was relegated to a third-string role in Duval County. New England claimed him off waivers, but after impressing Bill Belichick, who was fired following that season, the Patriots sent him to waivers after the 2024 NFL Draft. The Giants claimed Rourke but released him in late July. Atlanta signed him and gave him one preseason quarter without any practice reps eight days later. Two days after that experience, he was let go by the Falcons and the 2022 Most Outstanding Canadian quickly made his way back north of the border, signing a blockbuster contract with the B.C. Lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the CFL really represents football in\u00a0its purest sense. It\u2019s a community-driven, fan-driven league where the players are\u00a0approachable. I really felt the players down in the NFL were elevated to a status that was more God-like and untouchable, almost. I think\u00a0there was a lot of people that just play football for the lifestyle or what it brings them, rather than the love of the game,\u201d Rourke said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI find every player in the CFL, I instantly have respect\u00a0for them because I know that they\u2019re playing football because they love it. There\u2019s so\u00a0many more things that I relate with it. Obviously, I think the game is awesome, I think it fits my skill sets so much better. But I went down there, experienced it for myself, bounced around,\u00a0kind of felt the politics, kind of felt the business, and realized that I love football. I want to continue to improve as a quarterback, progress\u00a0every single day, every single year, and the CFL was going to give me the best chance to do that, and for that, I owe the CFL a tremendous amount.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old took his game to another level with the B.C. Lions in 2025. He completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 5,290 yards with 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 16 starts, posting an 11-5 win-loss record. He had 76 fewer pass attempts than Bo Levi Mitchell and finished six yards behind him for the CFL\u2019s passing yardage crown.<\/p>\n

Along with his elite production through the air, Rourke rushed 61 times for 564 yards \u2014 9.2 per carry \u2014 with 10 majors. He produced more yards on the ground than any player in Toronto or Montreal. The dual-threat pivot ripped off seven carries that went for 20 or more yards \u2014 highlighted by a 70-yarder \u2014 which tied for the second-most in the league with 2024 M.O.P. and M.O.C. Brady Oliveira.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a really awesome experience in the CFL. I\u00a0think I said to you last time we talked, I don\u2019t have any plans about going down\u00a0that [NFL] route again. I know that what I have here is a tremendous opportunity to continue to live in\u00a0the dream of playing professional football, and I\u2019m doing it in my home country, which is a\u00a0tremendous honour and privilege,\u201d Rourke said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it was a detour, at the end, I think the NFL ended up being the biggest detour at that point. I didn\u2019t mean it at the time\u00a0as anything negative; I can understand how people could take it that way, but I think that I\u2019m more\u00a0capable of being wrong. Obviously, the CFL was what allowed me to\u00a0get a chance to go and give the NFL a try, but ultimately I\u2019m so thankful for the\u00a0opportunity to be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The B.C. Lions and Amar Doman anointed Rourke the team\u2019s franchise man upon his return to the three-down league. He was given a contract which made him the highest-paid player in the league on a pro-rated basis for the 2024 season<\/a> and 2025 campaign<\/a>. He\u2019s currently scheduled to earn $684,000 in hard money for 2026, the most in the CFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that I have an opportunity\u00a0that many people would love to have, to be able to play for a team, continue to get\u00a0reps, continue to get better, have opportunities and room to grow within a franchise,\u201d Rourke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw franchise quarterbacks in the NFL have a long leash and that\u2019s what I have\u00a0here. It\u2019s a tremendous honour and a privilege. I\u2019m very, very grateful for the organization\u00a0and the league for welcoming me back after I gave that a shot.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"B.C. Lions\/Jeff Vinnick After Nathan Rourke voiced his displeasure with the Canadian Football League\u2019s rule changes, some fans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,514,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-249387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}