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While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born players. Just five percent of players are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by going to university in the United States. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly rare, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

James Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and never participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. As a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. First-year rookies also have to build habits and schedules: learning to take care of their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and need support in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when people know that you are invested, all the rest fades.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby player from Australia who won the championship recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

International Players and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been specialists, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in England to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started American football in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a spot on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes 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 every locker room but is yet to see action on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. 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 very inclusive culture, a great team, a top franchise.”

Despite spending the majority of training with his fellow linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only Italy and Austria. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the more young people who play football in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida annually to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us come back