This year was the NFC West’s turn to participate in the International Player Pathway program, which allows teams to carry an additional international player on their practice squads. This year’s players include (via NFL.com):
- Cardinals: TE Bernhard Seikovits, Austria
- 49ers: OL Alfredo Gutierrez, Mexico
- Rams: OL Max Pircher, Italy
- Seahawks: LB Aaron Donkor, Germany
Per the league’s website, the “program aims to provide elite international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster.”
These players will sit on their respective team’s roster until the end of training camp, at which time the teams will be granted “an international player practice squad exemption.” Assuming these players land on the practice squad, they’ll be ineligible to be activated during the 2021 campaign.
Each of the four players from the 2020 program will head into the preseason with the same teams: OT Isaac Alarcon (Cowboys), DE David Bada (Washington), DE Matt Leo (Eagles) and RB Sandro Platzgummer (Giants).
You have to question how “elite” these international athletes actually are if the big prize is just a spot on an NFL practice squad. The whole program appears to be little more than a PR platform to generate more merchandize sales overseas.
You really don’t get the syate of football overseas. This is a good way build slowly and give guys a chance to compete against better talent. Then they go back with a chance to play and coach with more experience.
I can’t imagine that a few months in an NFL training camp would give anyone the experience they need to become a coach but I admit I don’t follow the Europe leagues at all (I thought they had become defunct some years ago).
There are tons of professional American football leagues across Europe and in Asia .
You’re thinking of NFL Europe that went defunct
The leagues I’m referring to have zero affiliation to the NFL