BC Lions restructure Nathan Rourke’s contract, extend top receiver

The BC Lions and Nathan Rourke have reached an agreement to restructure the star quarterback’s contract while continuing to keep him under team control through the 2026 season.

“Nathan’s restructured deal allows us to continue to build our roster for success this year and beyond,” said GM Ryan Rigmaiden.

“We’re excited to have him leading our offence and feel he will continue to ascend to the level we’ve seen him perform.”

After winning the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian award in 2022, Rourke left the CFL and attempted to break into the NFL.

The BC native jumped around a few NFL rosters before coming back to the CFL and rejoining the Lions this past summer.

Rourke has 33 regular season games under his belt including 443 passes for 5,884 yards and 32 touchdowns.

The quarterback will be back in the driver's seat this season after sharing the position with Vernon Adams Jr. in 2024.

Adams Jr. was traded to the Calgary Stampeders this past November.

Following the announcement of Rourke’s contract restructuring, the Lions shared that pending free agent Justin McInnis had signed a two-year extension.

“Justin has evolved into an elite game-breaker in this league and we feel his ceiling can be even higher as we integrate our players into Buck Pierce’s offence,” added Rigmaiden.

McInnis led the league in receiving yards last season with 1,469 yards on 92 receptions and seven touchdowns.