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Although the United States is a country of newcomers, the NFL is still led by US-born players. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the game by attending college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, maximising time on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the game. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their body and handle a massive playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the US System

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are truly intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He stood out while representing teams in Austria and Germany, 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 member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very welcoming environment, a great team, a top franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are welcomed to Florida annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back