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While the US is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is largely led by US-born athletes. Only 5% of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by going to college in the United States. True outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train younger players from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: how to take care of their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people know that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Being Beyond the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have people from various backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while playing for teams in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a great team, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the US. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back