Rourke was eventually able to rejoin teammates on the practice field late last season after the 49ers opened his brief practice window. However, he was never activated and remained on the non-football injury (NFI) list.
Now, the young quarterback appears set to take another important step in his recovery. The 49ers begin rookie minicamp this week, and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Rourke is eligible to participate after missing so much time last year.
"I believe Kurtis is going to be out there," Kubiak told reporters on Thursday. "I'm not 100 percent sure, but I know Kurtis is eligible to be in our minicamp. So yeah, he might be out there throwing."
Kubiak was also asked what stood out about Rourke during his limited practice reps last season and where the quarterback is in his development heading into Year 2.
"Got to see him—I think it was a couple of weeks he was able to practice, and love the arm talent," Kubiak said. "He's a heck of a thrower. He's big, he's strong, he can stand in there and make every throw on the field. And we saw that from him when he was able to be on the field.
"Super bright guy, absorbs our playbook, our offense really well. He hasn't missed a beat on that end. I'm excited to go see him out there, and just put it all together, and get reps with our guys, and consistency, and stack days, and just see how he gets better."
Kubiak added, "We have high hopes for him, but I'm just excited about him as a player."
The 49ers selected Rourke in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, viewing him as a developmental quarterback with intriguing upside. He currently shares a quarterback room with Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, both of whom started games for San Francisco last season.
With Jones potentially headed toward free agency next offseason, the 49ers could be hoping Rourke develops into a reliable long-term backup option behind Purdy.
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