🔗 Share this article

While the United States is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born athletes. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the United States. True international figures are rare, and coaches from abroad are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, 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 “weird and wonderful” sport. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to attend university in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up 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 encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by the Bills; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Down Under to work with younger players from around the Pacific to introduce them to the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a hybrid role assisting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to look after their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when people realize that you care, all the rest fades.”

Benefits of Being Beyond the US System

Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than people think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing international supporters than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the elite level.

Foreign Players and Their Paths

Foreign players have usually been kickers, brought in from different sports. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college 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 discovering American football at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He impressed while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a spot on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods 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 action on the field. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not an obstacle,” says the 26-year-old. “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, once we have that figured out, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really welcoming culture, a excellent team, a top franchise.”

Although spending most of practice with his fellow linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is always very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents more than just his home countries. “In my view every nation outside the United States. The better each one of us does, the greater number of young people who play football in Italy, in Germany, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to Florida each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return