New England parted ways with the young passer on Monday.
The New England Patriots continue to make changes to the backend of their 90-man offseason roster. The latest transaction saw quarterback Nathan Rourke get waived.
A waiver wire pickup from the Jacksonville Jaguars last December, Rourke began his Patriots career as a third-string QB behind Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones. He remained in that role until the season finale, when he was put ahead of former first-round draft pick Jones to serve as the primary backup in a loss to the New York Jets.
Despite his upgrade in status for that game, Rourke leaves New England with zero in-game reps. Here is a look at what his release means for the club.
The battle for a potential final roster spot is down to two players
Following a series of offseason moves, the Patriots were left with five quarterbacks on their roster. Besides Rourke, they also had the aforementioned Bailey Zappe under contract and furthermore added Jacoby Brissett in free agency as well as Drake Maye and Joe Milton via the draft.
Rourke no longer being a part of this group doesn’t drastically change its outlook. Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are still expected to compete for the starting role this season, with the others competing for a maximum of one spot on the 53-man roster. That competition was three players deep heading into this week, but it is now down to Zappe and Milton.
New England’s projected roster is down to 89 again
The word “projected” is used here because all of the undrafted rookie signings at this point are unofficial and have only been reported, but not announced by the club. Still, if we account for those reports plus any additional post-draft movement by the Patriots we find them with 89 of 90 roster spots filled.
Assuming that number is indeed accurate, the question becomes how that final spot will be filled. New England will host its rookie minicamp later this week, so maybe one of the 11 known invitees will get the opportunity to sign a contract.
The salary cap remains unchanged
Under NFL offseason rules, only the 51 biggest cap hits plus additional guarantees count against a team’s books at this time of the year. Given that Rourke neither fell in that first category — his cap number was just $915,000 — nor had any such guarantees in his contract, his release does not impact the Patriots’ salary cap.
According to cap expert Miguel Benzan, New England has $50.49 million to work with at the moment. That number is clearly the highest in the team, and one that will change over the next few months and throughout the season. Whatever is then left can be rolled over into 2025, when the Patriots are already projected to again lead the NFL in cap space.
Rourke is the first free agency signing to be let go
Including both internal and external signings, the Patriots reached agreements with 22 players since mid-March. Among those, 21 remain on the team; Rourke is the only exception.
The 25-year-old originally entered the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent, meaning that only the Patriots were allowed to extend an offer to him before the start of the new league year. They did just that, keeping him on a one-year contract at that $915,000 number mentioned above. However, the nature of that deal plus his standing on the quarterback depth chart even before the draft made him a likely cut candidate.
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