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Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the National Football League is largely led by US-born athletes. Only 5% of participants are born abroad, and most of them step into the game by attending university in the US. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are especially rare, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

Cook has been in charge of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and quickly wanted to become the first NFL quarterback from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his dreams to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d appear around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a really active position, which is ideal for me. My background was guiding players from abroad who had not played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to take care of their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a imagined barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of Lasso-style comments and loads of players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or how you speak. And when players realize that you are invested, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and build relationships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are more diverse than many think. We have people from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have made it to the elite level.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have typically been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for Watford and Fulham for being a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He impressed while playing for clubs in Austria and Europe, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in 2021.

The following year, he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a part of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had action on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Minnesota have a really welcoming environment, a great team, a great franchise.”

Although devoting the majority of training with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is always close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from all positions. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The more successful every IPP graduate does, the more young people who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to the US each year to coach the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back