Detroit Lions sign NFL IPP player Max Pircher from Italy
The Detroit Lions have signed Italian OL Max Pircher as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program for the 2023 season.
The 6’7″, 300 pound Pircher from Bressanone, Italy in the Italian alps, has spent the last two seasons with the LA Rams after being allocated to Los Angeles via the NFL IPP program in 2021. In fact, prior to 2019, he hadn’t played football before having had a European handball background.
Pircher literally started playing football in Austria for the Swarco Raiders and in his first year he helped the Raiders win the Austrian Football League championship. . In 2019 he also played on the Italian National Team (Blue Team) and was playing for the Hildesheim Invaders in Germany when he was invited to join the International Player Pathway program.
Established in 2017, the NFL International Player Pathway program aims to provide elite athletes from around the world with the opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster and increase the number of international players in the League.
Thirty-six international players have signed with NFL teams since the start of the program (allocated, drafted or signed as a free agent). There are currently 13 IPP athletes on NFL rosters, with four of these on their team’s active roster – Jordan Mailata (Australia – Philadelphia Eagles), Efe Obada (UK – Washington Commanders), Jakob Johnson (Germany – Las Vegas Raiders) and David Bada (Germany – Washington Commanders).
