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While the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by American-born players. Just five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by attending university in the United States. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Journey to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

This is where he met Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some remarkable guys,” he recalls. “We had Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from around the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, maximising efficiency on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish 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.”

Does being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need support in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into 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 ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped soccer for Watford and Fulham for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not educated in the US college system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

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

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been popular in each team but is yet to see action on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a great team, a top franchise.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from all positions. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – was a wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries beyond the US. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

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