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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is still led by US-born athletes. Just 5% of players are born abroad, and most of them step into the game by attending university in the US. True international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and did not played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build habits and schedules: learning to look after their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘mate’ 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 similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the American football world has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are truly curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

International Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have typically been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England 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.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while representing clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the field. Is being a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a great team, a top organization.”

Despite devoting the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the greater number of young people who participate in Europe, 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 achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back