🔗 Share this article

Although the US is a country of immigrants, the NFL is largely dominated by American-born athletes. Just five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the game by going to college in the United States. Genuine international figures are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s journey remarkable.

James Cook’s Surprising Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. This is an achievement in itself, but it’s incredible given he grew up in England, is in his twenties, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he called a “weird and wonderful” game. He started playing in his area and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his plans to attend college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust my shifts and assist. 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 wasn’t paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the coaching team at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train younger players from across the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Transitioning to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role supporting younger players, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and GM. It’s a very active role, which is ideal for me. My background was working with players from abroad who had never played the game. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and schedules: learning to look after their body and handle a huge playbook. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Is being an Englishman who never 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 refer to me as ‘mate’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when people know that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from various backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than developing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who won the championship earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the elite level.

International Players and Their Paths

International athletes have typically been kickers, recruited from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for Watford and Fulham for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans 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 extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering the sport at university, has made that step. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a part of the LA Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Lions, Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the field. Is his status as a foreigner 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. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, once we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a top organization.”

Despite devoting the majority of training with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he represents not only Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation beyond the United States. The better every IPP graduate does, the more young people who participate in Europe, in Europe, wherever, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many kids contacting me, seeking tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to train the next wave of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Almost all of us return