🔗 Share this article

Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by attending college in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the NFL

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 was raised in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never played 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 began participating in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL QB born in Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his plans to attend university in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over 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 Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific to introduce them to college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting rookies, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on position, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and handle a massive game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the same everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are truly intrigued. 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 unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing foreign fans than developing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Players and Their Paths

International athletes have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you do not want to be a special teams player and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding 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.

Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football and the sport, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very welcoming culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “I would say every nation outside the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back