Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL Draft pick Kurtis Rourke earns third-string QB job with San Francisco 49ers

Photo courtesy: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are keeping Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke on the 53-man roster as their third-stringer, according to multiple reports.

Rourke was in a competition with Adrian Martinez for the job in training camp, a battle that was complicated when the Oakville, Ont. native broke his ribs in the preseason opener. He did not play in the subsequent two contests, but returned to practice on Friday and showed the team enough to earn the job. Martinez is expected to be waived.

The six-foot-four, 220-pound passer completed 12-of-14 pass attempts for 101 yards in his lone preseason appearance, while rushing three times for 14 yards. The 25-year-old led an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, on which he was injured.

Rourke was taken to hospital as a precaution after experiencing difficulty breathing, but was later discharged. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the injury was three broken ribs on Tuesday.

San Francisco has invested significantly in Rourke, who they selected in the seventh round during the 2025 NFL Draft. He missed his entire rookie year with a torn ACL suffered at Indiana University, a sunk cost that the team understood when drafting him. A second training camp lost to injury has not softened their commitment.

In his final college season, Rourke led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff in 2024. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions to be named second-team All-Big Ten and finish ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Rourke began his collegiate career at Ohio University, where he threw for 7,651 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions and rushed for 828 yards and 11 scores over five seasons. He was named the Mid-American Conference’s Most Valuable Player in 2022. He is the younger brother of reigning CFL M.O.P. and former Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders own Rourke’s CFL rights after selecting him in the third round, 25th overall, during the 2025 CFL Draft. However, it appears he won’t be making his way to Regina any time soon.

The 49ers finished third in the NFC West standings in 2025 with a 12-5 record. They are scheduled to open the 2026 season on Thursday, September 10, when they play the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.