Second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke finally got into NFL action a year after being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2025—he redshirted his rookie year with a collegiate ACL tear.
With Mac Jones poised to back up Brock Purdy under center this season, Rourke merely needed to put together some solid tape in order to showcase to both the Niners and the NFL world his competence as a quality quarterback, albeit a backup for now.
And that's pretty much what he did in San Francisco's preseason Week 1 loss to the visiting Tennessee Titans.
Rourke got the start over Jones, who didn't suit up, meaning it would be the former in a battle with fellow depth signal-caller Adrian Martinez, and it wouldn't take much to conclude the Canadian-born Rourke outshined his competition.
Except for one major problem.
With less than 5 yards to go to the goal line, the 49ers called a quarterback draw to see if Rourke could get into the end zone, resulting in the quarterback taking a hit to the ribs. After experiencing difficulty breathing, Rourke was taken to the hospital and determined to have broken ribs, per head coach Kyle Shanahan.
QB Kurtis Rourke had a ribs injury. He was struggling to breathe, so he was taken to the hospital for more imaging, coach Kyle Shanahan said. X-rays at the stadium were inconclusive.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 14, 2026
While Shanahan said he wasn't sure if Rourke would miss time, the injury is potentially devastating in the bigger picture.
49ers should've played it safer with Kurtis Rourke
Purdy and Jones have their respective roles. Rourke and Martinez needed the preseason to secure the rights to the QB3 role on the depth chart.
Should Rourke miss a couple of weeks with the injury, he'll likely be denied the chance to seize a spot on the Niners' 53-man roster.
All for a draw play in a meaningless exhibition tilt.
Granted, injuries to third-string quarterbacks typically don't carry much weight. But San Francisco knows value in finding third-stringers (Purdy being one his rookie season), and Rourke flashed more than enough promise up until that point.
Before exiting the game in favor of Martinez, he went 12-of-14 for 101 yards and a 96.7 passer rating.
Hopefully, that's not the only action Rourke sees this preseason.
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