The Players and Trainers Born Outside in the United States

While the US is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is still led by American-born players. Just 5% of participants are foreign-born, and most of them step into the game by going to college in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which renders James Cook’s story remarkable.

James Cook’s Unlikely Journey to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in control of athlete growth at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary considering he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, 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 “strange and amazing” game. He started playing in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL quarterback born in Europe. He progressed to representing Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, doing a bit of everything. Whenever the NFL people wanted me, I would adjust my schedule and help out. Being a quarterback, the one thing I had was I could throw. So when they worked out with players, I’d show up all over London and toss the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d usually buy me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs during his career before he established the International Player Pathway program in 2017 with two-time championship winner Osi Umenyiora. When Durde joined the staff at the Falcons, making history as the first-ever UK permanent coach in NFL history, Cook took over the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Smyth, the kicker from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I went to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from across the Pacific region to introduce them to college football, 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 working with international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns called out of the blue,” he explains. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting younger players, maximising efficiency on the training ground, collaborating with physios, the head coach and general manager. It’s a very hands-on role, which is ideal for me. My experience was guiding players from abroad who had never played the sport. First-year newcomers also have to establish structure and routines: how to take care of their health and handle a huge game plan. But also just being present for players. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who never compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a perceived barrier than an actual one,” states Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and loads of players refer to me as ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about checking myself. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we get nervous or stressed about the same things and need help in the same ways. If players know you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or how you speak. And when players realize that you care, all the other stuff fades.”

Benefits of Being Outside the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the entire team very early on, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen asked me about rugby with me as he loves it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely curious. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have people from various origins, a range of experiences. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Be uncommon – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been more successful at producing foreign fans than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a ex- rugby league player from Australia who claimed the Super Bowl recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, is one of the few IPP players to have risen to the very top.

International Athletes and Their Paths

International athletes have usually been kickers, recruited from different sports. Bobby Howfield exchanged playing up front for English clubs for becoming a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans 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 extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s youth team before discovering the sport at Nottingham 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 Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s experience is just as improbable. At over two meters and heavyweight, the from Italy was obviously not built for his favoured sports, soccer and the sport, so started the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while playing for clubs in Austria and Germany, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in 2021.

A year later, he had his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a member of the LA Rams training team. Pircher went on to have spells on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Minnesota Vikings at the end of August. He has been popular in every locker room but is hasn’t had 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 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 teammates. The Vikings have a really welcoming environment, a great team, a top organization.”

Although spending most of training with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has thrown himself into the social mix at his teams. “Obviously the O-line is consistently close-knit because we are a unit and united, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Akers – my best man, actually – was a wide receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Packers, Matt Orzech, is a really good friend: we shared a home for a while at the LA Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, special teams: we’ve have to be there for each other.”

Motivating the Next Generation

Pircher is aware he symbolizes more than just his home countries. “I would say all the countries beyond the US. The better each one of us does, the more youth who play football in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in consistently, I can get somewhere.’ I have a lot of kids hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

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