[16] Rourke started the opening game of the 2021 season against the Saskatchewan Roughriders since Michael Reilly could not play due to a shoulder/arm injury.
Rourke also started the final game of the regular season on November 19, 2021, where he completed 23 out of 34 pass attempts for 359 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
[18] He also had seven rush attempts for 34 yards with three touchdowns as he earned his first career win as a starter in the victory over the Edmonton Elks.
[18] Rourke made his 2022 CFL season debut as the starting quarterback for the BC Lions on June 10, 2022, where he went 26/29 for 282 yards and three passing touchdowns.
On June 25, 2022, Rourke set the record for most passing yards by a Canadian quarterback in a CFL game with 436 against the Toronto Argonauts.
His mark of 78.7% set a new CFL record for the highest completion percentage in a single season in league history.
After besting the Stampeders in the first round of the playoffs Rourke and the Lions were defeated by the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.
[31][32] In spite of missing close to half of the regular season, he won the CFL's award for Most Outstanding Canadian.
[33][34] Following his breakout season in the CFL, Rourke announced that he had scheduled workouts with a number of National Football League (NFL) teams.
[35][34] In December Rourke had workouts with seven NFL teams: the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings.
[36][37] In January 2023 Rourke had workouts with five more NFL teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns.
[42][43] On October 18, Rourke was signed to the Jaguars' active roster, then released three days later and re-signed to the practice squad.
[56] His younger brother, Kurtis Rourke, played quarterback at Ohio for four years before finishing his U.S. college career at Indiana University,[57][58] where he received the Cornish Trophy in 2024.