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While the United States is a nation of newcomers, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them enter the sport by going to college in the US. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in pro sports. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating in his area and soon aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first UK 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 Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, maximising efficiency on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, 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 sport. Rookie newcomers also have to establish habits and schedules: how to look after their body and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being available for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and need support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are truly intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the US college system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started 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 given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in each team but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a very inclusive environment, a excellent team, a great organization.”

Although spending most of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is always very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – was a receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation beyond the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US each year to train the new group of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back