FILE - Offensive lineman Leander Wiegand, of Germany, participates in a drill at the NFL international scouting combine at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Leander Wiegand knew very little about the NFL — or American football, for that matter — when his best friend urged him to check out something he saw on TV.

It was the day after the Super Bowl in February 2016 and Wiegand’s buddy Kolja turned on a replay of Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos beating Cam Newton's Carolina Panthers.

The teens, sitting on a couch in Aachen, Germany, spent the next few hours mesmerized.

“We just thought Cam Newton was super cool, like, with the Superman pose and everything,” a smiling Wiegand recalled. “But yeah, that was the first football experience for me, my first time seeing football.”

That game sparked a winding journey that led the native of Germany to the New York Jets this season.

Wiegand, now a 26-year-old offensive lineman on the Jets' practice squad, is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, which gives players from outside the United States and Canada a chance to learn, develop, practice and play the game professionally as the league expands its global reach.

“The IPP has absolutely changed my life,” Wiegand said. “They gave me the opportunity to be seen. When you grow up in America and you play American football and you’re really good, there’s pretty much no way around you. Like, if you play good in high school, colleges will recruit you. You play good in college, NFL teams will see you.

“But when you come from different parts of the world, it’s sometimes tough to be seen.”

That's where the IPP program comes in, shining a light on athletes from all over the world for NFL teams.

“I think it was Kyle Brandt or someone on the (NFL) Network, so I can’t take credit for this, but they describe this program as like the Avengers,” said Pat Long, the NFL's director of international football development. "The IPP is the Avengers because these are the outliers. These are the athletes that you don’t just find.”

Scouting the world

The initiative was started by the league in 2017 to identify outstanding international athletes in various sports and give them a chance to improve their American football skills and possibly earn a spot on a roster.

“There’s kind of a two-part intention to it,” Long said. “One is to provide a direct pathway for elite talent, wherever that may be found around the world, to have the opportunity to advance on into the NFL, obviously not without some intensive training and development along the way.

"It also serves a second marketing element and, as we grow and develop these local heroes from their respective countries, that has an impact in terms of moving the needle for those fan bases in those countries."

Since the program's inception, nearly 100 international players have participated and more than 40 have signed with NFL teams.

Players can be drafted, if eligible, by NFL teams or signed as free agents. Each team is allowed one roster exemption for an international player during the offseason and that player can fill a 17th roster spot on their practice squads — rather than the usual 16-player limit — in the regular season.

The face of the IPP

Philadelphia offensive lineman Jordan Mailata is roundly recognized as the face of the program, a former rugby league star in Australia who tried out in 2018.

“We hopped on a plane, worked out and they were like, ‘OK, we’ll let you know,’” Mailata recalled.

He was accepted into the program and became the first player drafted from it when the Eagles took him in the seventh round that year.

Mailata developed into a starter at left tackle and helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl this year.

“Jordan Mailata has paved the way and shown how good internationals can be in this league, given the opportunity,” said Washington defensive end T.J. Maguranyanga, a former professional rugby player from Zimbabwe who’s on the Commanders’ practice squad after being part of this year’s IPP class.

Mailata is not alone in making the jump from the program to an active NFL roster spot. Defensive end Efe Obada (Nigeria/United Kingdom), fullback Jakob Johnson (Germany), tight end Sammis Reyes (Chile), defensive tackle David Bada (Germany) and tight end Thomas Odukoya (Netherlands) have also played in regular-season games.

“I love that the NFL is making this an emphasis," Odukoya said, “and trying to broaden the horizon, so to speak.”

Germany to Jersey

Mostly a soccer player growing up in Germany, it was a few years after seeing that Super Bowl that Wiegand tried football.

He came to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as part of a high school exchange program and trained with the team when he was 17, but didn't play.

“They had me as a kicker because I was super tall, but really skinny,” said the 6-foot-5 Wiegand, who's now 291 pounds. “I was like 190 (pounds), maybe 185, and they thought since I came from soccer, I probably could kick the ball, which I was decent.”

Back home, Wiegand joined the Aachen Vampires football team when he was 19, attended a showcase camp in 2019, trained with former NFL punter Chris Mohr and was offered a football scholarship to play at Central Florida.

While he never played at UCF and returned to Germany, Wiegand played professionally in his home country, including with the Munich Ravens in 2024, when his offensive line coach was Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas. He was selected for the IPP last December and signed after the draft in April with the Jets.

“You’re so far away from your comfort zone in any type of form,” Wiegand said. “I’m in a different country and, I mean, I speak the language, but not perfectly. And then, it’s a new job, it’s a new game and everything. I’m just super glad how supportive everybody has been and really helped me make the transition."

Diverse but similar paths

Most of the participants in the program can relate to Wiegand's journey.

Maguranyanga grew up in Zimbabwe, attended high school in South Africa, went pro in rugby and played in France.

Maguranyanga's first trip to the United States came when he joined the IPP's workouts in January at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

“I was 12 when I moved to South Africa and 18 when I moved to France, so I think I’m just used to (experiencing) different people and different cultures,” the 22-year-old Maguranyanga said. “I assimilated pretty well. And growing up, watching so many American sports, I was excited to be here.”

Wiegand and Maguranyanga are just two of this year's IPP class currently on NFL practice squads.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa grew up in Peterborough, England, and played rugby, soccer, basketball, track and field and cricket in high school. He watched the Netflix series “Last Chance U” and “Quarterback” to help learn about American football.

“I would never have thought I would be doing this four or five years ago,” Mwansa said in April. “Even two years ago, football was not in the picture for me."

International reach

The NFL's search for talent in other countries has coincided with its regular-season games in an increasing number of places.

This year alone, games are being played in Brazil, England, Germany, Ireland and Spain. The NFL has games planned for next year in Australia and Mexico, in addition to Brazil and England again. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Asia could be a future destination.

“Football is easily the biggest sport in America, but it’s still got quite a way to go to catch up with how big soccer is in the world," Maguranyanga said. "So playing NFL games in different countries will grow the sport and a lot more people will be attracted to it, because it’s an entertaining sport to watch.

“Once we get more international games and more internationals playing it, that’s the right way to go for the NFL in terms of growing the game to get it as big as soccer is.”

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AP Pro Football Writers Mark Long and Teresa Walker, National Writer Howard Fendrich and Sports Writers Mark Anderson and Steve Megargee contributed.

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