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Although the US is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is still led by US-born players. Only five percent of players are foreign-born, and most of them enter the game by attending college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating in his area and quickly wanted to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to attend college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my schedule and assist. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d appear all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he established the IPP programme in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK full-time coach in NFL history, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting guys,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I went to Australia to train aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to Coaching in the NFL

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, maximising time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to build structure and schedules: how to take care of their health and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the same everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit 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 reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and need help in the same ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when people realize that you care, all the other stuff melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed 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 enjoys it. You make those connections and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from various origins, a variety of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so embrace it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting foreign fans than nurturing global talent. Mailata, a former rugby player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is one of the few IPP graduates to have made it to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been kickers, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby in St Albans to the Falcons team. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

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

Pircher’s experience is equally unlikely. At over two meters and 23 stone, the from Italy was clearly not built for his preferred games, football and the sport, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while playing for 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 championship trophy as a part of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and 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 gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It’s not really difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. Initially, they ask: ‘You got an accent – 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 spending the majority of practice with his other 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 altogether one, but we have friends from all positions. My close friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries beyond the US. The more successful each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US annually to train the next wave of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back