Kurtis Rourke

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The 49ers landed a solid developmental quarterback deal with Kurtis Rourke's four-year, $4.3M contract that earns a C+ CVI — representing fair value for a late-round rookie with upside potential. At just $1.1M annually with minimal guaranteed money ($0.1M), San Francisco is making a low-risk investment in a quarterback who brings intriguing tools without breaking the bank or creating salary cap complications. The contract structure is particularly team-friendly, offering the 49ers maximum flexibility to evaluate Rourke's development behind established quarterbacks while maintaining the option to move on with virtually no financial penalty if he doesn't progress as expected. With Brock Purdy entrenched as the starter and the team's recent success with late-round quarterback development, this deal represents smart roster building at a premium position. The C+ CVI reflects the appropriate market rate for an unproven quarterback prospect — not a bargain, but certainly not an overpay for a franchise that has shown the ability to maximize quarterback talent regardless of draft pedigree.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Kurtis's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Kurtis Rourke is firmly in replacement-level territory at the quarterback position entering 2026, and the data offers little to argue otherwise for a seventh-round pick out of the 2025 draft. At 25 years old in his rookie season, Rourke is operating on a $1.1M contract that screams practice squad or depth-chart afterthought rather than a legitimate developmental investment, which tells you most of what you need to know about where San Francisco sees him fitting long-term. There are no meaningful performance metrics to point to as a strength here — the grade stands at D- precisely because Rourke hasn't established enough of a footprint to generate even baseline statistical credibility at the NFL level. The complete absence of media coverage surrounding him isn't a neutral signal; in a league where quarterbacks with any real organizational buy-in generate attention, the silence around Rourke signals that San Francisco views him as roster filler rather than a piece of the position puzzle worth protecting. His sentiment grade, sitting at a D after recently trending upward from even lower ground, reflects a player who hasn't given anyone a reason to get excited — no breakout camp moments, no buzz, just a fringe roster presence trying to survive the cut. With 131 days until the regular season opener, the most realistic outcome for Rourke is a roster battle he's unlikely to win, and the 49ers' recent offseason activity — focused on defensive and skill position depth — offers no indication the team is investing around him.

How Kurtis Compares at the Position

Kurtis Rourke ranks 93rd of 106 graded quarterbacks by performance. That slots Kurtis between Trevor Siemian (D) just ahead and Bailey Zappe (D-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Kurtis Rourke enters the 2026 season with one of the quietest public profiles of any quarterback in the league, and that silence is itself the story — his sentiment grade has drifted down to a D, reflecting a narrative defined entirely by absence rather than controversy. In a quarterback-obsessed league where even third-stringers with legitimate upside tend to generate developmental buzz, Rourke's near-total media invisibility signals that neither the fanbase nor the press corps views him as a player worth tracking, and his $1.1M AAV deal on a rookie scale contract only reinforces the organizational messaging that he occupies the fringe of the roster rather than any meaningful depth chart conversation. That perception aligns cleanly with his on-field production grade, which sits at D-, painting a consistent picture of a seventh-round pick out of the 2025 draft who has yet to demonstrate anything that separates him from replacement-level depth. San Francisco's recent roster activity — signing Trent Williams, adding Sincere McCormick and Patrick McMorris — tells you everything about where the front office's attention and resources are directed, and none of it points toward the quarterback room or Rourke specifically. The bottom line is that Rourke is fighting for basic roster survival heading into the regular season, with no meaningful coverage suggesting either a breakout trajectory or a dramatic roster cut narrative — just the quiet, uncomfortable limbo of a fringe player the organization has given no real reason to invest in emotionally or analytically.