🔗 Share this article

While the US is a country of newcomers, the National Football League is still led by US-born players. Only 5% of participants are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by going to university in the United States. Genuine outsiders are rare, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story exceptional.

James Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Cleveland Browns. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s, and never participated in professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his dad and came across what he called a “strange and amazing” sport. He began participating locally and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to representing Great Britain, but his plans to go to college in the US were financially prohibitive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, making burgers, doing a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys needed me, I would switch my shifts and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had periods with the Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he set up the IPP programme in 2017 with two-time championship winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first-ever British permanent coach in NFL annals, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who was selected by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to train aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to get them into the US college system, similar to what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook transitioned from training foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “Cleveland called out of the blue,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, collaborating with physios, the head coach and GM. It’s a very active position, which is ideal for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the game. Rookie rookies also have to establish habits and routines: learning to look after their body and deal with a huge playbook. But also just being present for guys. That’s the identical across the board. And I love that.”

Is being an Brit who never play in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s more of a perceived barrier than an real one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of Lasso-style jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘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 similar things and need support in the same ways. If players understand you can assist them, they don’t care about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Outside the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the American football world has its advantages. “I addressed in front of the entire team soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our linemen wanted to talk the sport with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. People are genuinely curious. NFL organizations are varied than people think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a variety of upbringings. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at attracting international supporters than developing foreign players. Mailata, a former rugby league player from Sydney who claimed the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP graduates to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield swapped playing up front for English clubs for being a placekicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Falcons roster. If you aren’t aiming to be a kicker and were not educated in the American system, it’s very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a Londoner who played for Chelsea’s academy before finding the sport at Nottingham University, has achieved that. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was clearly not suited for his favoured sports, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while representing teams in Europe and Germany, as well as the national side, and was offered a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he held the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Minnesota Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the gridiron. Is his status as a foreigner still a hurdle?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from all different states, so it doesn’t really matter. At first, they ask: ‘You speak differently – what’s your background?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really inclusive environment, a great squad, a great organization.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the team dynamics at his clubs. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a unit and altogether one, but we have friends from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my wedding witness, in fact – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The long snapper 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 supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he represents more than just Italy and Austria. “I would say every nation outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the more youth who play football in Europe, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters contacting me, asking for tips. It’s nice to inspire them to pursue what I’ve experienced.”

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