Update: Rourke re-signs with BC

[Hambone]

Do you think there is a possibility that the Adams injury is a bit more serious than has been reported and Rourke might have an option to leave at the end of the year if he puts up decent numbers and maybe a Grey Cup? The Lions would than retain VA.

Not very realistic but just a thought.

I suppose that it is a possibility but he did sign a 3 year contract. That shows he's committed to the Lions.

I'm thinking it might have been a case if I can make something work with BC, where I have my offseason home, now, then I'll do it. If they can't pull it off midseason then I'll wait until the offseason when there is a more wide open market and BC might be in better position to make it happen.

[SammyGreene]

Farhan:

The hard money in Rourke’s deal for 2025 is $749k & 809k in 2026. 200k of that in each year is marketing money which does not count against the salary cap.
Some perspective on his 250k in 2024. I think the #BCLions could reasonably sell another 5k seats for Sunday’s game just because of Rourke (they were trending to 29-30k before the announcement). If they do, at $50 per ticket, they’d immediately recover that 250k. In one game.

Face of the franchise and league type money. So somewhere in the contract it says Nathan can't simply walk away for another shot down south unless it's very good opportunity with a significant signing bonus right?

[David]

Hard to believe he's going to get a legit NFL shot, even if he meets/beats his 2022 CFL stats. What would suddenly sway them to give him a big signing bonus and commit to him? He'll still be the CFL star who came down and impressed-ish but was waived by four NFL clubs. They're still going to give priority to their veterans and draft picks.

If it's still his dream then I hope I am wrong. I really like the kid. But I can't see it happening.


DH

[don corleone]

Happened fast. Curious if anyone else made an offer although I don't think the Lions had to outbid other teams.

[johnchow604]

I have mixed feelings about this. What's to prevent him from leaving again after this season if given the opportunity? And if he does leave, what message does that send to BC Lions fans when the star QB wants out again? I'd prefer a stable QB, even if he's less talented, but committed to the CFL. I'd rather wait for VA and just accept the losses while he's gone to reward him for this commitment.

[Blitz]

Jason Rourke joining our Leos and joining us this season to boot is mind blowing good news. I almost feel 'discombobulated' as good 'ol Wally would say.

It's exciting, good news for Leo fans and for the CFL.

I have no clue how the Lions are able to make this work with both Rourke and Adams on the roster this season but perhaps there is also more to the VA injury than we know at present.

It's been a dismal last three games for our Leos. My hope is this very positive news will play a part in what I hope will be a turnaround going forward.



CFL.ca Staff

VANCOUVER — Nathan Rourke has returned to the CFL and will re-join the BC Lions. Rourke will join the club for Wednesday’s practice.

The team made the announcement on social media on Tuesday morning.

Lions head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell said that the team will move forward with both Rourke and Vernon Adams Jr. on their roster.

“From talking to Nathan, I know how excited he is to be back with the Lions and to get going,” Campbell said in a press release. “For this to happen, it also had to include Vernon Adams Jr. being here. Vernon will not be traded and is too good a player, too valuable a leader and a huge part of our team.”

Rourke, 26, returns to the Lions after spending the last year-plus pursuing a number of NFL opportunities. Between January, 2023 and up to this past week, Rourke has spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New England Patriots, the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons.

The Victoria, B.C. native was selected in round two (15th overall) of the 2020 CFL Draft and took the league by storm upon being named the starter for 2022, leading his team to the Western Final that season and winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He made 255-324 passes for 3,349 yards and 24 touchdown passes in that season through 10 games, before a foot injury took him out of action until the postseason.

He helped lead the Lions to a second-place finish in the West and the team’s first home playoff game since the 2016 campaign, returning from his foot injury to help take down the Calgary Stampeders in that year’s Western Semi-Final.

With a 436- yard performance in a win over Toronto in Week 3, Rourke broke Gerry Dattilio’s 41-year-old single-game passing record for Canadian quarterbacks. Rourke would then break his own record in back-to-back weeks with 477 yards in an Aug. 6 win over Edmonton and 488 yards in a thrilling comeback victory at Calgary.

He became just the third quarterback in CFL history to win the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian, joining Dattilio and Russ Jackson.

[maxlion]

Very exciting news! Great to have Rourke back in the league and back on the Lions. Can't wait for Sunday!

I'd heard about these "marketing" dollars but didn't realize that they could be used to circumvent the salary cap to this extent. I thought it was just a few thousand here and there. The league should consider being more transparent about this, or maybe it already is transparent and I missed it?

Very unusual situation for Adams. MOP candidate, well-regarded by coaches and teammates, becomes a backup overnight. I know he is a team guy, but he must be disappointed by this. Would he demand a trade? It wouldn't surprise me. He deserves to play.

[TheLionKing]

Jason Rourke joining our Leos and joining us this season to boot is mind blowing good news. I almost feel 'discombobulated' as good 'ol Wally would say.

Jason Rourke ?? Good to see back Blitz

[Sir Purrcival]

Happened fast. Curious if anyone else made an offer although I don't think the Lions had to outbid other teams.

I thought it very interesting that he turned up in the Lions dressing room a couple of weeks back. It may not have been as fast as it appears. My gut says that he may have had some thoughts about returning even then and he wanted to see what the mood around the dressing room was likely to be. It's a bit unusual for a player to show up to his old team when he is in the beginnings of a new season in a different league. Perhaps he was covering his basis but I think he was weighing a decision and prepping his agent for that decision. I wouldn't be the least surprised if instructed his agent to start working out the terms of an acceptable offer should the lastest round of NFL tryouts were to go off the rails. And when they did, his side was ready to go

[Blitz]

You've always had a keen eye TheLionKing (which is why Wally never asked you to review game tape with him again and I have always had a problem remembering names. My apologies to Nathan and to you.

As we all know, life isn't always fair. In football, there are a lot of factors that can quickly change things from injuries, trades, signings, coaching changes, salary cap considerations etc. etc. etc.

VA got an excellent opportunity here in B.C. after Rourke was injured and we traded for him, and he got another excellent opportunity after Rourke left to take his NFL shot. VA was not an established starter before his time here in B.C. and he is one now.

VA, whether it's here in B.C. or with another CFL team, which is mostly likely next season, now has a much more promising CFL future than the day he arrived on the West Coast.

[Lui05]

Returning this year was not one of the scenario possibilities I envisioned.
Definitely a good decision by Rourke, good for him. As for the Lions, I agree with whoever said they couldn't let a repeat of Flutie happen when he signed with Calgary. Only time will tell how good a decision this turns out to be. But, it should never be considered a bad decision because the optics of letting him sign elsewhere in the CFL would derail a team that is clearly on the right track as far as overall team management and marketing goes.

I sit back, ready and hoping to be proven wrong. Go Lions!

[cromartie]

Well. Well. Well. What have we learned?

This is a surprisingly positive development on a lot of fronts. It's great to have Rourke, who never should have left to begin with, back. And I would imagine he is back to stay.

With this development, I would imagine that VA, who has been nothing but a good team guy since the moment he arrived in town, will eventually move on. But the luxury of riding out the season with Rourke, Dolegala and Adams is one we should enjoy while we can.

Maybe, just maybe, this experience will encourage Nathan to be more vocal about QB opportunities in the CFL and the lack thereof in the US. One would hope Kurtis is getting enough NIL money at Indiana that he can bank some of it and just come up to Canada when the time comes rather than enduring the slings, arrows and practice squad bounces of his older brother.

I think that we can discern a number of things.

VA's injury is worse than it appears.
VA will be traded in the offseason.
Rourke is here to stay.

I am here to praise VA, not bury him. He's done great work on the field while he has been here, and he has done as much as he could with what he's had. He'll look good in Hamilton next year.

Which brings me to the next positive. It speaks volumes to the quality of the organization that guys not only want to play here, but come back here after their NFL misadventures. Whatever the contract is, I'm certain another team in need of a QB would likely have offered a bit more than the Lions could. So it's a testament to our building and ownership group and our coaching staff.

Now, for the reality check. While Rourke may be less turnover prone than VA, it doesn't wave the magic wand that fixes the very evident problems with scheme and personnel. The Dave Ritchie inspired defensive scheme still suffers from problems at linebacker and pass rush and, evidenced by the Winnipeg performance, whatever offense we keep rolling out there has clearly been figured out. Special Teams discipline, as others have noted, is also problematic. Rourke doesn't fix this.

But it's a good start and a shot in the arm if nothing else.

[David]

I am here to praise VA, not bury him. He's done great work on the field while he has been here, and he has done as much as he could with what he's had. He'll look good in Hamilton next year.

VA has been a really great teammate and leader here. Not sure Lions fans fully embraced him as the star QB that he is. Perhaps that is living in Nathan's shadow.

He could be a d*ck about this and say, no way. Trade me. And I am still not sure how this is all going to play out (whose team this will be for the balance of the season) when VA is 100% healthy. Clearly he will be traded in the off-season, but I am still onboard for this wild, wacky ride.


DH

[don corleone]

Can he play linebacker?

[Toppy Vann]

Question already answered on team website. Rourke will be wearing his familiar #12 jersey tomorrow. Brice has switched to 7.
A lot of happy fans who purchased his jersey in 2022.

I took in the practice today as did it seems more people than usual. Most noticeable was the absence of Dolegala and the latest addition at QB so I'm not surprised they were both given their release. Fans would rightly be annoyed to have a Rourke jersey and him wearing another number. .

It will take a day or two to get Rourke fully back to speed on the play calls undoubtedly. He knows where the routes are for sure but I'm sure the names of the plays need refamilarization given that he's just been through some 5 different NFL play call schemes.