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Although the US is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is still led by American-born players. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and most of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine international figures are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his father and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would switch my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear around 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 periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting rookies, maximising time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year rookies also have to build habits and schedules: learning to take care of their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and require help in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when people realize that you are invested, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been better at attracting international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a excellent squad, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my best man, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US annually to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back