Source confirms Bears are in danger of losing valuable piece of their organization following another NFC team’s major shakeup
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles should start bracing to lose his right-hand man.
The end of the regular season is always a tough time for a lot of teams in the NFL, outside of teams preparing for the postseason, such as the Chicago Bears.
Multiple teams eliminated from playoff contention made major changes on Sunday night and into Monday morning parting ways with head coaches and top front office executives. The most active team was the Atlanta Falcons parting ways with head coach Raheem Morris, general manager Terry Fontenot, and CEO Rich McKay.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added the Falcons are expected to hire a new president of football operations, with many expecting that hire to be former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Last week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer floated the idea of the Falcons having interest in Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham for the potential GM role considering Ryan’s connection with Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles after playing together at Boston College.
A source for A to Z Sports confirmed Monday that Cunningham is expected to be a big player for the Falcons’ vacant GM position with the Fontenot decision now official.
A lot can change in the coming weeks with this search, but Cunningham is the current leader in the race and Chicago needs to take note.
Another GM name to watch in Atlanta, per the source, is Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel, Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Ryan Poles should start bracing to potentially lose Ian Cunningham this cycle
Cunningham joined the Bears in 2022 alongside Poles as the general manager’s right-hand man after previously was the director of player personnel with the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the last few cycles, multiple teams expressed interest in Cunningham and he was a finalist for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2025) and Tennessee Titans (2024/2025) general manager positions.
Poles and Cunningham nailed last year’s head coach search when they landed on Ben Johnson, who immediately brought a winning culture and playoff opportunity back to the city of Chicago. Cunningham also was a part of the process in drafting a first overall quarterback in Caleb Williams, who broke the franchise’s single-season passing yard record in his sophomore season.
“I am blessed out of my socks to have him by my side through this process,” Poles said of Cunningham back in April. “Just especially, when you reflect back to the first two years getting this thing off the ground. To have a guy like him that’s not a ‘yes’ man that keeps me in line when I start getting off track, to keep our staff together when I get pulled in different directions, we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for Ian, as well as being there and being an unbelievable partner.”
Bears would benefit from two compensatory draft picks if Cunningham is hired as a GM
Saying Cunningham is indeed hired by the Falcons, or another team with a general manager opening in this year’s cycle, the Bears would be rewarded with two third-round compensatory draft picks, one in the 2026 NFL Draft and one in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Those extra picks can allow Poles and the Bears to continue building a sustained championship-caliber team with Johnson and Williams leading the charge.
As for Cunningham, he could finally land a spot in the big chair after narrowly missing the cut the last few years. And his right-hand man could play a major role in finally landing Cunningham a position.
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