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Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them enter the sport by attending college in the United States. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US were financially prohibitive.

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

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ 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 similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are truly curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than developing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who claimed the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Europe, 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 part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a excellent team, a great organization.”

Although devoting most of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is always very tight because we are a group and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, special teams: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say all the countries beyond the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of youth who play football in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return