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While the US is a country of newcomers, the NFL is still led by American-born players. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. This is an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and quickly wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to get them into the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had not played the game. First-year rookies also have to build structure and routines: how to look after their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get 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 ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He competed in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and the sport, so took up the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the player. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents more than just his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida each year to train the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back