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Although the United States is a nation of newcomers, the National Football League is still dominated by American-born athletes. Only five percent of players are born abroad, and most of them enter the sport by attending university in the US. True outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are particularly scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey remarkable.

Cook’s Unlikely Path to the League

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his twenties, and did not participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his dad and came across what he called a “strange and amazing” game. He began participating locally and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL guys needed me, I would adjust my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up around London and toss the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he met Aden Durde, who had periods with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his career before he set up the International Player Pathway program in that year with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Atlanta Falcons, making history as the first UK permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, coaching some remarkable players,” he says. “We had Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me unexpectedly,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing time on the training ground, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on position, which is perfect for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year rookies also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their body and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL hold him back? “It’s more of a imagined barrier than an real one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the similar things and require help in the same ways. If players know you can help them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Being Beyond the US System

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he enjoys it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from all sorts of origins, a variety 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 better at attracting international supporters than developing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Sydney who won the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the very top.

International Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Falcons roster. If you do not want to be a kicker and were not trained in the American system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s youth team before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is equally improbable. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, 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 playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t 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 speak differently – where are you from?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive environment, a great team, a top franchise.”

Despite spending most of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Naturally the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Landen Akers – my best man, in fact – played wide receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for a while at the LA Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Inspiring the Future

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just Italy and Austria. “In my view all the countries outside the US. The better every IPP graduate performs, the more young people who play football in Italy, in Europe, wherever, can see: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself consistently, I can succeed.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, seeking tips. It’s nice to encourage them to experience what I’ve experienced.”

The program alumni are welcomed to the US each year to train the new group of aspiring NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us return