These Players and Coaches Born Outside in the United States

Although the United States is a country of newcomers, the NFL is largely led by American-born athletes. Just 5% of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by attending college in the United States. Genuine international figures are rare, and foreign coaches are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s journey exceptional.

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 accomplishment in itself, but it’s incredible considering he grew up in England, is in his late 20s, and did not played pro sports. Cook discovered the NFL as a teenager while channel-flicking with his father and came across what he described as a “weird and wonderful” game. He began participating locally and soon wanted to become the first-ever NFL QB from Europe. He progressed to playing for Great Britain, but his dreams to go to college in the US were too expensive.

“I was scooping popcorn, wiping seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would adjust 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 all over London and throw the ball to them. I wasn’t paid, but they’d usually get me lunch.”

It was here that he met Durde, who had stints with the Carolina Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up 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 Falcons, making history as 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 remarkable players,” he says. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Travis Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the specialist from the Emerald Isle who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Australia to train younger players from around the Pacific region to introduce them to the US college system, like what I wanted to do.”

Making the Leap to NFL Coaching

Similar to Durde before him, Cook made the jump from training international athletes to joining the NFL. “The Browns contacted me unexpectedly,” he says. “They had a hybrid role assisting younger players, optimizing time on the practice field, working closely with medical staff, the head coach and general manager. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My background was working with international athletes who had not played the sport. Rookie newcomers also have to build structure and schedules: learning to look after their health and handle a huge playbook. But also just being available for players. That’s the same across the board. And I love that.”

Does being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL a disadvantage? “It’s largely a perceived hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I’ve had a lot of reverse Ted Lasso jokes and many players refer to me as ‘mate’ as they like that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I say ‘trash can’ not ‘bin’. But we feel anxious or stressed about the same things and require support in the identical ways. If players understand you can assist them, they aren’t concerned about your origin or what accent. And when players realize that you are invested, all the rest melts away.”

Advantages of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Coming from outside the NFL bubble has its advantages. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we walked out, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he loves it. You build those bonds and build relationships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than many think. We have staff from all sorts of backgrounds, a range of upbringings. Our saying at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are different so lean into it.’ It’s something to be proud of.”

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

Foreign Players and Their Journeys

International athletes have typically been specialists, recruited from different sports. Howfield swapped soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Denver Broncos and Jets; Mick 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 very challenging to advance to the NFL.

Oyelola, a native of London who was part of Chelsea’s academy before finding American football at university, has made that step. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as unlikely. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the from Italy was clearly not suited for his preferred games, football and handball, so took up the NFL in his late teens. He impressed while playing for teams in Austria and Germany, as well as the national side, and was given a spot on the IPP in that year.

The following year, he held the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher subsequently had periods on the fringes at the Detroit Lions, Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he signed with the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is hasn’t had game time on the field. Is being a international player still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not an obstacle,” notes the player. “We have players from all different states, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they ask: ‘You got an accent – where are you from?’ But, after we clarify that, we’re teammates. The Minnesota have a really inclusive culture, a great squad, a top franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his other offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the social mix at his clubs. “Obviously the offensive line is consistently close-knit because we are a group and altogether one, but we have mates from every position group. My best friend, Landen Akers – my best man, actually – was a receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Matt Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for two years at the Rams. Quarterbacks, defenders, special teams: we’ve have to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is conscious he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the United States. The more successful each one of us does, the more young people who participate in Italy, in Germany, anywhere, can see: ‘Oh it is possible – if I put the work in every day, I can get somewhere.’ I have a many youngsters hitting me up, asking for tips. It’s nice to encourage them to pursue what I’ve achieved.”

The IPP graduates are welcomed to Florida each year to coach the new group of potential NFL internationals. “Almost all of us return