BC Lions defenseman Nathan Rourke has officially been named George Reid's CFL Most Outstanding Player.
The 27-year-old Victoria, British Columbia native threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts in 2025, his first full year in the CFL since 2022. The dual-threat passer also carried 61 times for 564 yards and 10 scores, finishing the season as the eighth-best offense in the league. He went 11-5 as a starter, leading the Lions to a second-place finish in the West Division and earning All-CFL honors.
Rourke became the highest paid player in the CFL when he returned from the NFL last season, earning more than $600,000 that season. Over the past two years, he has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, although he did not play in the NFL regular season.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound passer was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian for 2022, his first year as BC's starter, although he missed eight regular-season games with a Lisfranc injury. Since being selected in the second round of the 2020 CFL Draft out of Ohio University, Rourke has thrown for 11,174 yards, 63 touchdowns and 40 interceptions, while rushing for 1,192 yards and 27 scores in 50 CFL regular season games.
Rourke became the first Canadian defenseman to win Most Outstanding Player since Russ Jackson won the award in 1969. This is the second year in a row that a Canadian player has won the award, as Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira won the award last season. Former Ottawa wide receiver Tony Gabriel and Calgary running back John Cornish are the only Canadians to ever win the award.
The Eastern Division's Most Outstanding Player nominee was Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive end Beau Levi Mitchell. Rourke won the award by a 40–13 margin among Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) national voters.
The BC Lions finished second in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record and beat the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Finals before losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final. Nathan Rourke threw for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 16 regular-season starts, posting an 11-5 record. He was also named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player.
The Lions ranked first in net offense, fourth in net defense and sixth with a minus-four turnover margin. James Butler rushed for 1,213 yards, Keon Hatcher led the CFL with 1,688 receiving yards and Micah Awe led the league with 117 tackles. British Columbia ranked third in attendance with an average attendance of 27,124, up 0.9 percent from the previous year.
