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While the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born players. Only five percent of participants are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a really active position, which is perfect for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to take care of their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the rest fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our saying 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 foreign fans than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the championship recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker 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 finding the sport 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.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming culture, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”

Although spending the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – was a receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the more youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to coach the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back