The New York Giants have landed a star quarterback from another professional football league to their roster.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the New York Giants have claimed Nathan Rourke off waivers from the New England Patriots. Rourke was a star for the BC Lions of the CFL in the 2022 season, winning Most Outstanding Canadian honors.
Rourke signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and tried to land a backup job behind Trevor Lawrence. He was waived and then signed to Jacksonville’s practice squad numerous times before the New England Patriots picked him up late in the 2023 season.
The Victoria, British Columbia native was released by the Patriots on Monday. He didn’t stay on waivers for long, as the Giants moved quickly to scoop him up off waivers.
Rourke was one of the top surprises of the 2022 CFL season, throwing for 3,349 yards and 25 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He also had 304 rushing yards and seven rushing scores. The former Ohio Bobcat led the Lions to 12 wins and a trip to the West Final, where they fell to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
New York Giants Have Shaken Up Their QB Room
The Giants decided against drafting Daniel Jones’ successor with the No. 6 selection in this year’s draft. Instead, they used the pick on LSU Tigers star wide receiver Malik Nabers, giving the New York offense a valuable game-changing weapon.
But Jones is by no means a lock to finish next season as the Giants’ starting quarterback. The team signed former Denver Bronco and Seattle Seahawk Drew Lock as insurance, and Tommy DeVito could see more playing time after displaying brief flashes of brilliance last year.
It’s highly unlikely that Nathan Rourke will see any playing time during the regular season (if he remains on New York’s roster by then), but New York has nothing to lose in giving the former CFLer a chance to prove himself as a capable third-stringer.
