What's subsequent for Nathan Rourke? Former B.C. Lions QB stays on bench for Patriots finale

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The New England Patriots teased a greater end to Nathan Rourke’s first season within the NFL.

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The quarterback, who was born in Victoria, raised in Oakville, Ont., and starred with the B.C. Lions in 2022, was promoted from emergency third stringer to backup pivot Sunday morning by the Patriots forward of their common season finale towards the visiting New York Jets. 

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That put him within the combine for recreation motion towards the Jets, however he by no means got here off the bench. Regardless of the actual fact the Patriots have lengthy been out of playoff competition and so they have been struggling to maneuver the ball in snowy situations Sunday, head coach Invoice Belichick went the gap with quarterback Bailey Zappe. 

Zappe completed 12-of-30 for 88 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions within the 17-3 loss.

Rourke, 25, had been with the Patriots for 3 weeks, having been claimed by New England off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 18. You’d assume he’d have a really feel for the New England offence. 

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So what’s subsequent for Rourke? It’s simple to guess at his age that he’ll proceed with the NFL subsequent season quite than come again to the CFL. Rourke had signed a three-year take care of the Lions in Could 2021, so that they’ll have his CFL rights till free company opens on Feb. 13.

Rourke didn’t take a snap in a daily season recreation this yr with both New England or Jacksonville. He spent a lot of the yr on the Jaguars’ follow roster. 

He signed a three-year take care of Jacksonville final January after figuring out with 12 groups, and the Jaguars have been attempting to place him again on the follow roster after a quick keep on the energetic roster when New England claimed him. 

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Whether or not Rourke has a future with the Patriots is a tough query. 

New England completed the season 4-13. The was the staff’s worst mark beneath Belichick, who has been on the helm since 2000. There’s hypothesis that he and the Patriots are reducing ties. The Boston Globe recreation story Sunday led with “If that was Invoice Belichick’s closing recreation as Patriots head coach, nicely, what a method to exit.”

The Globe additionally had the a bit by Nicole Yang with the headline “Patriots made a large number of the quarterback place, proper to the very finish.” 

The story led with the truth that New England had bumped former starter Mac Jones right down to the No. 3 job and promoted Rourke to again up Zappe on Sunday. 

“Nathan had week of follow,” Belichick reasoned to reporters afterwards. “So, we activated him for the second spot.”

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Yang wrote: “If Jones was beneath the climate to the purpose it affected his availability, the league would require the Patriots to replace their damage report. Maybe Belichick needed to protect Jones’s commerce worth, ought to the staff determine to buy him this low season. Or maybe he needed to stay it to Jones one final time.”

Jones, 25, was a first-round choose, No. 15 general by New England in 2021 out of the Alabama Crimson Tide program.

Rourke had led the Lions to an 8-1 begin in 2022 when it was introduced that he had suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his proper foot within the waning moments of a 28-10 win in Saskatchewan on Aug. 19 and it could require surgical procedure that will put him on the sidelines for a number of weeks.

He led the CFL in passing yardage (3,281) and landing passes (25) on the time and had been named one of many league’s prime three performers in six of these 9 weeks.

He got here again for the common season finale on Oct. 28, and guided the Lions to a win over the Calgary Stampeders within the West semifinals earlier than they fell to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers within the West closing.

Even with lacking all that point, Rourke was named the CFL’s Most Excellent Canadian for the season, changing into the primary quarterback to take the honour since Gerry Dattilio of the Montreal Alouettes in 1980.

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