Notable participants
- Accurate as of the 2023 NFL season
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The International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) is a program run by the National Football League (NFL) to increase the number of players from outside the United States or Canada in the NFL. The program was formed as part of the NFL's strategy to grow globally as it provides athletes with the opportunity to play in the league which will increase the pool of talent and ultimately drive fan growth globally. [1] [2]
The International Player Pathway Program was not the first initiative by the NFL to introduce foreign talent into its pool of players and neither is it, as yet, the longest running. The first such program was the NFL International Development Practice Squad Program that ran between 2004 and 2009. Following a short hiatus of seven years there was a single incarnation of NFL Undiscovered in 2016 and building immediately on the success of that trial the IPPP was instituted in 2017. [3] [4] [5]
The NFL International Practice Squad Program was an initiative run by the NFL in which selected players from outside the United States or Canada were assigned to the practice squads of NFL teams. The program began in 2004 [6] and was concluded five years later in 2009 but during that time many players from a multitude of nations [7] were given the opportunity to play in the NFL or other professional football leagues like the Arena Football League, the United Football League and the Canadian Football League.
Two British-born former NFL players Aden Durde (NFLUK head of football development) and two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora were concerned that there were no clear pathways into the NFL for players who had not gone to high-school and/or college in the United States, and, as a result, the NFL was potentially missing out on some exceptional players. Wanting to remedy this, in early 2016, they used their personal and professional contacts from their time in the NFL to create a training program and to set-up meetings and try-outs with NFL teams for a small number of specially selected football players. These players' potential had been scouted primarily by watching YouTube videos. [8] The initial group of players all lived, worked and played amateur football in Europe. At the time, the program was not yet officially named the International Player Pathway, but it was fully sanctioned and supported by the NFL. Additionally, the League had commissioned a mini-series documentary to be made, called NFL Undiscovered, that followed the participants of the program.
In 2017 the IPP was implemented with systems for choosing which division sponsors the program annually, as well as special regulations applying to the teams being assigned the players. The program has grown every year since its launch and, as of 2020, more than half (19 of 32) of all NFL teams have signed international players as a direct result of the program.
In 2017, potential applicants to NFL Undiscovered were asked to meet specific requirements and were advised to follow a particular application process. [9] Some of these criteria have either changed over time or there is some discretion applied during the selection process, as not all the athletes that have come through the program in the intervening years meet all of the following criteria.
The NFL has specific regulations for players that sign through the IPP. The teams to which each IPP player is assigned are allowed 91 players [10] on their off-season rosters, one more than those teams that are not participating in the IPP that year. At the point when these rosters need to be cut to 53 (at the end of pre-season), the participating teams must decide the status of their IPP players. [11] [12] [13]
First, the team can keep their IPP player on their 53-man roster. If they waive the player, he goes through the NFL's waiver system, which allows him to be claimed by another team. If he clears waivers, the team can sign the player to their practice squad. If they do, they may elect to take an exemption for the IPP player, giving them an extra spot on their practice squad. If they utilize the exemption, that player cannot be signed to the active roster of any team during the season. If the exemption is declined, the player is treated like any other practice squad player, and can be promoted to a team's active roster. If the player chooses to sign with a team other than the one to which he was assigned, that team may not claim the exemption.
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In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout team by emulating an upcoming opponent's play style. Because the players on the practice squad are familiar with the team's plays and formations, the practice squad serves as a way to develop inexperienced players for promotion to the main roster. This is particularly important for professional gridiron football teams, which do not have formal minor league farm team affiliates to train players. In addition, it provides replacement players for the main roster when players are needed as the result of injuries or other roster moves, such as bereavement leave.
Aden Durde is a British American football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys from 2021 to 2023.
Christian Wade is an English rugby union footballer, and former American football player, currently playing as a wing for French Top 14 club Racing 92.
Efe Obada is a British Nigerian professional American football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Nigeria, he was raised in the Netherlands and England and was the first player to go straight from a European football league to the NFL. Obada has also been a member of the London Warriors, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Buffalo Bills.
Moritz Wilhelm Böhringer is a German professional American football tight end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Böhringer was the first European player to be selected in the NFL draft without playing any college football.
Jakob Elijah Johnson is a German-American professional American football fullback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee and signed with the New England Patriots in 2019 through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program. After three seasons in New England, Johnson joined the Raiders.
Chandler Wade Brewer is an American football guard for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Middle Tennessee.
Isaac Alarcón García is a Mexican professional American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 as a part of the league's International Player Pathway Program.
Matthew Leo is an Australian former American football defensive end and coach who is a defensive and football operations assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and spent three seasons with the Eagles as a player, joining them through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).
Jacob Harris is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCF.
Bernhard Seikovits is an Austrian professional football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Vienna Vikings of the Austrian Football League from 2017 until joining the Cardinals via the NFL's International Player Pathway Program in 2021.
David Bada is a German-French gridiron football defensive tackle. A native of Munich, he played in the German Football League prior to spending four seasons with the Washington Football Team / Commanders in 2020 as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.
Tigie Sankoh is a Sierra Leonean professional Canadian football defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Alfredo Gutiérrez Urías is a Mexican professional American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and joined the 49ers in 2021 as a part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).
Kehinde Oginni Hassan is a Nigerian-born American football tight end and defensive lineman who is a free agent. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2022 as part of the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).
Sandro Platzgummer is an Austrian professional American football running back who is currently playing for the Frankfurt Galaxy in the European League of Football. He previously played for the New York Giants in the NFL. In Europe he originally played for the AFL team of the Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Austria national American football team.
Maximilian Pircher is an Italian-born American football offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He initially played football at Hildesheim in Germany. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
Haggai Chisom Ndubuisi is a Nigerian professional American football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He joined the NFL through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) and has been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, and the United Football League's (UFL) San Antonio Brahmas.
Basil Chijioke "C. J." Okoye is a Nigerian professional American football defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). From Nkwerre, Nigeria, he joined the Chargers through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2023.
Thomas Ayodele Odukoya is a Dutch professional American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). From the Netherlands, he played college football at West Hills–Coalinga, Garden City and Eastern Michigan and joined the Titans as part of the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2022.
