According to Ticats head coach Milanovich, Rourke had a successful NFL season.
Despite not playing a down and splitting his first NFL season between two teams, Scott Milanovich still views Canadian Nathan Rourke’s time spent in the south of the border as a success.
Rourke, 25, played for both Jacksonville and New England this season. In 2022, while playing for the B.C. Lions, he was named the CFL’s outstanding Canadian. Before the Patriots claimed him off waivers, the 25-year-old native of Victoria signed with the Jaguars. He began the season on the practice roster and was promoted to the active roster twice.
Although Rourke did not see any playing time in Jacksonville, he ended up as New England’s backup. Milanovich, an NFL quarterback and assistant coach by trade who currently coaches the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, believes Rourke has at least
During a teleconference on Monday at the CFL’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, Milanovich told reporters,
“The hardest thing is to just get your foot in the door and he did that.” “He needs to wait patiently until he gets his opportunity, at which point he needs to seize it.
“Now that he has a foot in the door, I see it as an incredibly successful season for him. Bill Belichick, the head coach of the Patriots, clearly wanted him, so that’s a plus in my opinion.
At Ohio, the six-foot-one, 210-pound Rourke had an outstanding collegiate career. He was twice named the top Canadian in NCAA football (2017–19), winning the Jon Cornish Trophy. Rourke signed with B.C. after being passed over in the ’21 NFL draft. B.C. selected Rourke in the second round (15th overall) of the 2020 CFL draft.
Rourke was the league’s most explosive player in 2022, having spent his first CFL season as veteran Michael Reilly’s backup. Rourke received first-team honours for his impressive performance despite needing surgery to treat a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot. He completed 255 of 324 passes (a league-high 78.7%) for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 304 yards and seven touchdowns.
