Who Should I Start? Desmond Ridder or Kurtis Rourke

Wednesday, December 31, 12:36 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Desmond Ridder is being signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Wednesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Jordan Love (concussion) and Malik Willis (shoulder) are both dealing with injuries, and the Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed going into the playoffs, so Ridder could be elevated for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings. Ridder, the former third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, has bounced around the league the last couple of years. The 26-year-old has not appeared in an NFL game since 2024 with the Las Vegas Raiders. Ridder was with the Bengals during the summer and also spent two separate stints with the Vikings. If Ridder is elevated to the active roster this weekend, he'll likely serve in a backup role behind Clayton Tune if both Love and Willis are inactive.

Wednesday, July 16, 1:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers rookie seventh-round quarterback Kurtis Rourke (knee) will begin training camp this summer on the Non-Football Injury list after the team's rookies reported to camp on Tuesday. In addition, second-round rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins has yet to report while being one of the many second-round picks this year that have yet to sign their rookie deals. The 24-year-old Rourke played through a torn ACL in his final collegiate season in 2024 at Indiana, but he will not be ready to practice with the Niners when training camp kicks off next week. When Rourke is cleared to participate in practices, he'll merely be competing for the No. 3 QB role in San Fran behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones. The 49ers also have Tanner Mordecai on roster at the QB position this year.