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While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people 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 appear all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, maximising time on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year newcomers also have to build structure and routines: learning to take care of their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Outside the US System

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad 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. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have people from various origins, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see action on the field. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a great team, a great franchise.”

Despite spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a group and united, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a 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. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the greater number of young people who play football in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back