The Players and Coaches Not Born in the USA

Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, the NFL is still dominated by US-born athletes. Just five percent of players are foreign-born, and most of them enter the game by attending college in the United States. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the League

Cook has been in charge of player development at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never participated in pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “strange and amazing” sport. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain, but his plans to attend university in the US proved financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, making burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL people needed me, I would adjust my schedule 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 throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

This is where he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his playing days before he established the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I had a lot of fun with it, working with some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who was selected by the Bills; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the Saints. I traveled to Australia to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific to get them into college football, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook made the jump from working with foreign players to joining the NFL. “Cleveland contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with medical staff, the coach and general manager. It’s a really hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was working with players from abroad who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and deal with a massive playbook. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I enjoy that.”

Does being an Brit who did not play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘garbage can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and need support in the identical ways. If players understand you can help them, they don’t care about your origin or how you speak. And when players know that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the whole squad very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL organizations are varied than many think. We have people from various origins, a range 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 producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Philadelphia Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have made it to the elite level.

International Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been specialists, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst graduated from rugby in England to the Atlanta Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a special teams player and did not trained in the US college system, it’s very challenging to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at university, has achieved that. He competed in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before taking his talents to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is equally unlikely. At 6ft 7in and 23 stone, the from Italy was obviously not suited for his preferred games, football and handball, so started American football in his late teens. He stood out while playing for clubs in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, 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 subsequently had spells on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in each team but is yet to see game time on the gridiron. Is being a international player still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” says the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. Initially, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we have that figured out, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a excellent team, a top organization.”

Although devoting most of practice with his other linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is always close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, in fact – played receiver at the LA. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we lived together for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “I would say all the countries outside the United States. The better each one of us performs, the greater number of youth who participate in Europe, in Germany, wherever, can see: ‘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 encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are all invited to Florida annually to coach the new group of aspiring NFL internationals. “Almost all of us come back