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Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born players. Only 5% of participants are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by going to college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. 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 throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position 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 not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a spot on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent team, a great organization.”

Despite spending most of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the more youth who participate in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US annually to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back