San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kurtis Rourke was rushed to the hospital with breathing difficulties after injuring his ribs in his first game action in more than 600 days, though initial X-rays showed no fracture, and he was released that same night.
Rourke, a 25-year-old seventh-round pick out of Indiana, went down in the second quarter of Thursday night's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. He hurt his ribs on a run toward the goal line but stayed in the game long enough to finish the drive, which ended with Patrick Taylor Jr punching in a one-yard touchdown. After that, Rourke was done for the night.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the 19, 13 loss that the team sent Rourke to the hospital as a precaution once he started having trouble breathing. Shanahan told reporters at his postgame press conference:
"They said 'ribs' and he was struggling to breathe, so they took him to the hospital just to check on everything, make sure it's all right."
Rourke was released from the hospital later that night after undergoing checks, including X-rays that came back negative for a fracture. No further diagnosis has been disclosed.
The Canadian-born quarterback hadn't played a competitive snap in over 600 days. His final college season at Indiana ended with a torn ACL. He had surgery, got drafted by San Francisco in the seventh round of the 2025 draft, and then spent his entire rookie year on the physically unable to perform list, the designation for players not cleared for football activity.
Thursday night was supposed to be the payoff. And before the injury, Rourke looked sharp. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 101 yards and rushed three times for 14 yards. Shanahan praised the performance.
"I thought he looked good. Had the ball in the right spot. I thought he hung in there and played well."
That stat line was all the more notable given the context. AP News reported that Tennessee's No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, struggled through two of his three drives against San Francisco's backup defense, going just 3 for 8 for 23 yards. Ward failed to connect with No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate on all three of his targets. Titans coach Robert Saleh said Ward's mechanics looked "a little bit more sped up" than they had been in practice.
A third-string quarterback coming off a year-and-a-half layoff outperformed the first pick in the draft. That is the kind of preseason storyline coaches love, right up until the quarterback lands in the emergency room.
Rourke wasn't the only 49er hurt Thursday. The New York Post reported that cornerback Jack Jones was ruled out with a hand injury on the game's first drive, continuing what the outlet described as a troubling pattern of injuries that began during training camp.
For a franchise that has dealt with significant injury problems in recent seasons, losing players in the preseason opener, including one who required hospitalization, is an unwelcome start.
The 49ers fell 19, 13 to the Titans. The final score mattered less than the health report. Rourke's exact recovery timeline remains unknown, and the team has not said whether the injury will affect his roster status heading into the regular season.
A young quarterback waited 601 days for another shot at a football field. He got one drive's worth of proof that he belongs, and a hospital visit to go with it. The NFL has never been generous with second chances, and it's even less generous with time.
