Bears top executive earns his long-awaited opportunity, creating a looming question only the NFL can answer for Chicago
Ian Cunningham has finally landed a general manager role after four seasons with the Chicago Bears.
After years of interest around the league, Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as finally earns the long-awaited opportunity to be a general manager in the NFL.
The Atlanta Falcons announced the decision with Cunningham set to run the organization alongside owner and chairman Arthur Blank, president of football Matt Ryan, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Sources with A to Z Sports confirmed back in early January that Cunningham would be a major player for the general manager position after previously interviewing for the team’s newly-created president of football role that instead went to Ryan, the Falcons former franchise quarterback.
Ian Cunningham brings a strong mind and a ton of experience to the Falcons front office
Cunningham spent the last four seasons as the assistant GM in Chicago; the right-hand man to general manager Ryan Poles. Poles’ history with Ryan as former teammates at Boston College helped Cunningham land the position, but his experience speaks for itself.
Prior to working with Poles in Chicago, Cunningham spent time working under Ozzie Newsome with the Baltimore Ravens from 2008-2016 and under Howie Roseman with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2017-2021. The 40-year-old executive was also listed in The Athletic‘s “40 under 40” back in 2020.
Working with the Bears, Cunningham played an integral role in the franchise’s turnaround, beginning with a pivotal trade that allowed the Bears to draft quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in 2024, and the process that resulted in hiring head coach Ben Johnson, who became a finalist for the AP Coach of the Year award following his first 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.”
With a head coach in Stefanski and young quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. already in place in Atlanta, Cunningham walks into a strong foundation to begin building up from in the NFC South, along with a strong voice assisting him in Ryan. The latter point brings us to the burning question for the Bears.
NFL will now have to decide whether or not the Bears receive comp picks for losing Cunningham
Per league rules, one would think the Bears are now eligible to receive two compensatory draft picks (a third-round selection in each of the next two drafts) for developing a minority executive who was hired away as a primary football executive (general manager). But, Ryan’s role in Atlanta makes it a grey area.
Many believe Ryan was hired to be the “primary football executive” for the Falcons as the team’s president of football. During Ryan’s introductory press conference after accepting the position, the team’s brass made it clear that the Falcons general manager position would be the same role as any other general manager position and Ryan would simply assist the head coach and general manager.
Being forthcoming with that information should help the league determine whether or not to hand over the compensatory draft picks to the Bears. Personally, I don’t see the league holding those picks away from Chicago and degrading the meaning behind the Rooney Rule.
Everyone will have an opinion on the matter and it’s only up to the league to decide. We will find out soon what that final decision will be.
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