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While the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely led by American-born athletes. Only 5% of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by attending college in the US. True outsiders are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which makes James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get 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 programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had not played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to build habits and schedules: how to take care of their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players know that you are invested, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from various origins, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not educated 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 youth team before discovering American football at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive environment, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Despite spending most of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries beyond the US. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to train the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return