Back in his backyard

One of the benefits of no longer covering live local sports is I’ve been able to devote more attention to the Canadian Football League, which I’ve been passionate about since the early 1970s.

Although I cast my lot with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats long ago, I’m one of those guys who finds something to like about every club. I want my team to win, of course, but I want the whole league to be successful. You know … a rising tide lifts all boats.

So, when things go bad for the Ti-Cats (with Saturday’s 47-22 beatdown by Edmonton, Hamilton is 2-8 and its season is circling the drain) there’s always something – or someone – to celebrate.

The BC Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tonight, and I’m celebrating the return of Nathan Rourke to the CFL.

Rourke, of course, is the Victoria, British Columbia, native who threw for 28 touchdowns and 4,035 yards during his first stint with the Lions in 2021-22; he won the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2022.

Since then, the two-time Jon Cornish Trophy winner (while quarterbacking the Ohio Bobcats) spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2023), New England Patriots (2023), New York Giants (2024) and Atlanta Falcons (2024). He tried to parlay his CFL success into a career in the National Football League, and I genuinely hoped he’d stick the landing on football’s biggest stage. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old never saw action in a regular season game and was cut by Atlanta on August 11.

TSN’s Farhan Lalji reports that Rourke has signed a three-year deal with BC that will make him the league’s highest paid player in 2025 and 2026. He’ll earn $250,000 for playing the rest of this season, $749,200 next year, and $815,000 in the final year of his contract.

If another NFL opportunity comes along, it’ll have to wait.

“I wanted to be in a situation where I felt like I could move up,” Rourke said following Wednesday’s practice. “And there’s so few opportunities in the league. I think in ‘23 we can look back on that and see it as a success. I moved up, I was able to go to a team where I was the second guy, and that was an improvement from the beginning of the year. But (in 2024) there were tough situations with coaching changes and kind of moving around … I never really got settled.

“I was missing some reps and missing some opportunities.”

With starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. nursing an injury, his former team north of the U.S. border offered a new opportunity after a job with the Falcons lasted just 10 days.

“I felt like going to another (NFL) team would be a hard ask, and maybe not the best use of my time,” Adams said. “After that point, the suddenness of it felt like it was maybe best to start exploring other options if the NFL thing didn’t work out.”

America’s loss is Canada’s gain – again.

“The biggest thing is trying to get readjusted to the offense,” he said. “Obviously, I know this one. I learned it at some point, I was here for two years. But then this is also my fifth offense this year, so I’m going to have to forget a bunch of stuff to make room for this stuff. I love the Canadian game … I tell all my American teammates who have never seen the motions and stuff like that, it’s such a fun game, and there’s so much action to it.”

While I’m an American fan who admires the game from afar, it’s exciting to see a Canadian native excel at the QB position. The CFL has been in search of a national superstar signal caller ever since Hamilton native Russ Jackson retired in 1969.

But while Rourke is certainly a favorite son, Adams is hardly a throwaway. The 31-year-old (who played collegiately at Eastern Washington and Oregon) is second in the league in passing yards with 2,469 and tied for second in most passing TDs with 14. Back in February he signed a contract extension through 2026 after a 2023 season that saw him lead the league with 4,769 yards and connect on 31 touchdown tosses.

He was traded to the Lions from Montreal after Rourke suffered a foot sprain in 2022, and two years later Rourke has come in as Adams tries to work through an injury to his right knee.

“I’ve got the most amount of respect for V.A.,” Rourke said. “He’s such a pro. Ever since I’ve known him, when he came in for me in 2022, he was a pro. Everything he’s done up until this point, he’s been a pro about it. He’s that type of leader and type of person that I aspire to be in the locker room. He’s been great. I think the timing is good in terms of him not being 100 percent.

“We need him for this playoff run that we’re hopefully about to go on. We’re gonna need everyone healthy so I think let him rest and see what happens. I think he’s done a fantastic job, and I respect the hell out of him for it.”

BC coach Rick Campbell – who on Friday named Rourke the starter for tonight’s contest – dismisses any kind of quarterback controversy. With his team 5-4 – one point behind West leader Saskatchewan but losers of three consecutive games – the more quality QBs, the better.

“We’re looking out for the BC Lions, and we want to do what’s best for the BC Lions football team,” Campbell said. “And to have those two guys, both of them, on the same team, is an amazing thing.”

Once Adams returns to 100 percent, it’ll be interesting to see how things ultimately play out in Vancouver. I mean, having two elite quarterbacks vying for playing time is untenable long-term.

If Rourke decides to pursue another NFL job in 2025, Adams should return. If Rourke stays, Adams would go elsewhere (I’d love to see him in Hamilton – and not as a wideout like the Ti-Cats tried to make him in 2018).

But for now, I’m looking forward to watching Rourke play the three down game. And he’s looking forward to it as well, with no regrets about his NFL experience.

“I felt like I made the best decision for myself at the time,” Rourke said. “Obviously looking back, it was not what I thought it was going to be in terms of an opportunity or a competition. But that’s the nature of this profession and you know, it’s come full circle now.”