This offseason, the marquee story for the Minnesota Vikings is the battle between former first-overall pick Kyler Murray and struggling incumbent J.J. McCarthy. However, there wasn’t a QB competition in Kevin O’Connell’s first year. Kirk Cousins was the guy entering the 2022 season.
But in December 2022, the Vikings quietly worked out Nathan Rourke, a young QB from the Canadian Football League (CFL), who was coming off an elite season north of the border. Minnesota decided not to sign him, but they should have. Perhaps with Rourke’s elite traits and the time to develop in O’Connell’s system, the organization would’ve avoided quarterback chaos after Cousins got hurt in 2023.
Let’s play a fun game of “what if” and see why the Vikings should’ve signed Rourke back in 2022, and why they still should look at “Kid Canada,” as TSN sports broadcasters refer to him.
Minnesota’s 2022 QB room lacked young talent but featured Cousins, a proven starter. Nick Mullens, Sean Mannion (who they cut in August 2022), and Josh Rosen on the practice squad rounded out the room.
The organization clearly identified the lack of young talent in the group and later drafted Jaren Hall in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, before drafting Hall, the team worked out Nathan Rourke. He was coming off an elite season with the BC Lions, having set the CFL record for completion percentage (78.7%) in a season.
Before landing in BC, Rourke was a multiple-time All-MAC quarterback for the University of Ohio and went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. After stepping in as the starter for the Lions, he exploded in 2022, setting records and winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian (MOC) award.
That caught the attention of numerous NFL teams, including Minnesota. He eventually signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to learn under alleged QB guru Doug Pederson. The Vikings could’ve had the perfect prospect to develop behind Cousins had they been more aggressive in their pursuit of Rourke.
Rourke is exactly the sort of QB that Kevin O’Connell loves. He has a cannon arm, and he’s incredibly accurate. He consistently puts the ball in the right place at the right time, as evidenced by breaking the CFL’s accuracy record in 2022.
The dude is also a whiz in the learning phase of the game, earning All-Academic awards during his time in Ohio. He had to learn four different NFL playbooks during his stops in the NFL before returning to the CFL. These traits are vital when running O’Connell’s notoriously complicated offense.
Rourke has remained the face of the league after returning to the CFL. He won Most Outstanding Player (MOP) and All-Star honors this past season, on his way to leading the Lions to the West Division Finals again. He continues to ascend in his football career, and the Vikings should take note of that growth.
Rourke is also fleet of foot, rushing for 564 yards and 10 TDs this past season with BC. O’Connell doesn’t necessarily enjoy it when his QBs go off script. Still, Rourke possesses fast play-processing traits and knows when to tuck and run, something we might see a lot more of this season with Murray taking over as QB.
Had the Vikings signed Rourke in 2022, he could’ve learned behind Cousins and taken over under center if he developed correctly. The next best time to bring Rourke is at the end of the upcoming CFL season, when the CFL-NFL negotiation window reopens.
Depending on how this season goes, the Vikings may not have the financial flexibility to re-sign Murray if he plays well. He has a “no-tag” clause that could allow him to seek a big contract elsewhere. McCarthy will still be under his rookie contract, but we will see how his confidence is after this season if Murray starts. Carson Wentz, 33, will be approaching retirement age, and Max Brosmer, 25, is an undrafted developmental player.
With all of this being said, the Vikings might need someone like Rourke again. However, he’d be in a different role, more of someone they could trust to make a spot start over Brosmer. The team also has a strong history with QBs with CFL experience, including Joe Kapp and Warren Moon.
Minnesota has been hunting for a true franchise QB for some time now, and McCarthy or Murray might be just that. Minnesota’s QB situation is defined by uncertainty, so perhaps they should bring back “Kid Canada” for another workout, only give him runway to fully learn O’Connell’s system in case he must make a spot start.
