Former Falcons QB becomes highest-paid player in the CFL

The Falcons have spent gobs of cash this offseason, most recently giving A.J. Terrell $81 million over four years of new money.

Before that, Arthur Blank broke his checkbook out for Matthew Judon’s existing contract, $9 million for Justin Simmons, and over $200 million for Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney, but that’s only this offseason.

This time last year, the Falcons made Chris Lindstrom the highest-paid guard in football, giving him over $100 million to go along with over $120 million to Jessie Bates III, Kaden Elliss, and David Onyemata.

It hasn’t only been the current Falcons either. Calvin Ridley got paid handsomely by the Titans this offseason, and a former quarterback topped the market in a completely different league.

After being cut by the Falcons earlier this offseason, Nathan Rourke went back to Canada, signing the most lucrative deal in the CFL. Though it’s chump change by NFL standards, he’s the highest-paid quarterback in the Canadian Football League.

He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award when he last played for the BC Lions in 2022, which he tried to parlay into an NFL career. Rourke spent time with the Jaguars, Patriots, Giants and Falcons without ever appearing in a game.

It’s not the NFL, but Nathan Rourke is a star in the CFL and returns to a rising league.

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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire