SURREY, B.C. — Playing in the NFL has long been Nathan Rourke’s dream.
Days after inking a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, the Canadian quarterback is still processing the monumental move.
“I’m still here in B.C. and I’m still living in my parents house,” Rourke told reporters Tuesday. “When I get down there, I think it will sink in a little bit more.”
The last few months have been an exhausting journey for the for the Victoria-born 24 year old.
Shortly after guiding the B.C. Lions to the playoffs in November, Rourke embarked on an extended tour that saw him work out for a dozen NFL clubs. Weeks of zigzagging the continent and talking contracts ended Sunday when he signed a rookie deal with the Jaguars.
“It was fun for me to be able to see different buildings and meet different people and travel to some cities in the U.S. that I haven’t been to before. That was all fun,” he said. “But the evaluation process is kind of brutal. And I’m glad that it’s over and I’m going to a place where I feel wanted.”
After being passed over in the 2021 NFL draft, Rourke joined the Lions, who selected him 15th overall in the 2020 CFL draft.
The six-foot-two, 209-pound Ohio product spent the 2021 campaign backing up Michael Reilly before taking over as starter in a stunning campaign last season.
He quickly captured attention, throwing for 3,349 yards — including three performances with more than 400 yards — with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 regular-season appearances. He added 304 yards on the ground with seven rushing TDs.
A foot injury that required surgery halted his campaign in August, but Rourke returned in the Lions’ regular-season finale, then led the 12-6 team to a 30-16 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division semifinal. B.C. ultimately fell 28-20 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West final.
While Rourke worked out for 12 NFL clubs, there were others that called to inquire. The final decision was between Jacksonville, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns.
“Ultimately it came down to the opportunity to be able to compete to be the No. 2 and to be one play away,” he said. “And that was big for us.”
The Canadian QB heard plenty of advice as he assessed his options, including some words of wisdom from fellow CFL alumnus Henry Burris.
The three-time Grey Cup champion and Canadian Football Hall of Famer also played in both the CFL and NFL, and now works as an offensive quality control coach in Jacksonville.
“He went through this himself and he said if he could do it again, he would have liked to have stayed in the CFL just because of his timing and the situation that he went down to,” Rourke said.
“He said that the situation wasn’t right for him, but if there’s a situation that’s right, where I can see a chance to be able to play at some point, then to take it. That’s what I’m doing.”
Jacksonville already has a solid starter in Trevor Lawrence, taken first overall in the 2021 NFL draft. Rourke said he’s not looking to compete with the 23-year-old native of Knoxville, Tenn., for the No. 1 spot.
“I think (Lawrence is) a fantastic quarterback,” he said. “I wish him nothing but the best this year and I’ll be there to support him next year.
“But my job is to create a job for myself down there. And you never know what happens — you play well in the pre-season, another team could like you and you go from there. But I think going down there and being a part of that process is the best way to solidify a job in the future.”
While playing in his home province has been “truly special,” Rourke said continuing to play in the CFL simply wouldn’t provide the opportunities he’s dreamt of since childhood.
“I think that being on an NFL team and getting NFL film, whether it’s pre-season or regular season is really important to be able to solidify yourself as an NFL starter,” he said. “I don’t think it’s happening if you’re playing another year in the CFL. I just don’t.
“And I think that the goal right now is to be in a position where I’m a play away from playing.”
Leading a CFL team did teach the young quarterback valuable lessons, like how to be a professional and prepare every week.
The 2022 Lions’ team was special, Rourke said, and will stick with him, no matter where he ends up.
“It’s a group that I’m not going to forget any time soon,” he said. “I think that they’ve kind of raised my expectations in terms of what a CFL or a professional locker room should be like — how well you should feel, and how you should feel for your teammates, and how bought in you should be, and how you should come to work every single day. This group has really set that precedent for me.
“So I think throughout my career I’m going to be looking at this group and being like, ‘This is where the bar is set.’ And I’m really, really fortunate for that part of it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2023.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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