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Although the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is still led by American-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending university in the United States. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, becoming the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, 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 was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to work with younger players from around the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ 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 same things and need help in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. 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 better at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield exchanged playing up front for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes 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 all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have friends from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents more than just 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 Italy, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to train the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back