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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is largely led by US-born athletes. Just 5% of players are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the sport by attending college in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

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

This is where he met Durde, who had periods with the 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 coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first-ever British full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to train younger players from around the Pacific to get them into the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a really active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had never played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: learning to look after their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and need help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the US System

Originating from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke 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 form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various origins, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not built for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so started American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a very welcoming environment, a great squad, a top organization.”

Although spending the majority of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the US. The better each one of us performs, the more youth who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back