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Although the United States is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely led by US-born athletes. Only five percent of participants are foreign-born, and the majority of them step into the game by going to college in the US. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the League

Cook has been in control of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as representing Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could pass. So when they trained with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first British full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Like Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a massive game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the same across the board. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” states Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or under pressure about the similar things and require support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the American football world has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are truly curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

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

International Players and Their Journeys

Foreign players have typically been kickers, brought in from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Denver 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 US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at Nottingham University, has made that step. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so took up American football in his teenage years. He stood out while representing clubs in Europe and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was offered a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a part of the Rams training team. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they inquire: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Despite devoting the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The long snapper from the Green Bay, 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 supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the United States. The more successful each one of us performs, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to inspire them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to coach the next wave of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back