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While the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by US-born players. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them step into the sport by attending university in the US. True outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible given he was raised in England, is in his twenties, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “strange and amazing” game. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his plans to go to college in the US proved too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people wanted me, I would switch my shifts and assist. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he recalls. “We had 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 went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific to introduce them to college football, similar to what I had hoped to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role supporting rookies, maximising time on the practice field, working closely with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on role, which is perfect for me. My experience was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. First-year 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 guys. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you are invested, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen asked me about the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are truly 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 unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than developing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the championship recently with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have made it to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for being a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in each team but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Vikings have a really inclusive environment, a excellent team, a great franchise.”

Despite spending most of training with his other linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a group and altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “I would say all the countries outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to the US each year to coach the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Virtually everyone of us come back