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Although the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are foreign-born, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained 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.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: how to take care of their health and handle a massive playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and need support 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 other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Being Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the American football world has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and were not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the 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 being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive culture, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Despite spending the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

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 greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to train the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back