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While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born players. Just 5% of players are foreign-born, and most of them enter the game by attending college in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and quickly aspired to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. Being 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his career 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 Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: how to look after their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need support in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned where you’re from or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety 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 attracting foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

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

Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a very inclusive culture, a great squad, a great franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation beyond the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate performs, the more youth who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida annually to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back