Bears Insider Finally Sheds Light On Ian Cunningham Comp Picks Situation
The Chicago Bears have anticipated assistant GM Ian Cunningham leaving at some point to finally get a GM job of his own. He came close in 2024 with the Arizona Cardinals, but opted to stay put. It felt like this was his year. The Bears went 11-6, won the NFC North, and beat Green Bay in the wild card round. It was their best overall season in 15 years, and a culmination of the intense work Cunningham and Ryan Poles have put in to get the Bears to this point. One would think teams would be interested in his services.
Indeed it looked like the Atlanta Falcons were heavy favorites to bring him in, especially with Poles’ best friend Matt Ryan taking over as president of football operations. There is one glaring problem. It is speculated that because Ryan is deemed the primary football decision-maker in the organization, any GM hired would be making a lateral move. In other words, the Bears would not be entitled to compensatory picks were Cunningham to take the position. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has since confirmed this.
Assistant general manager Ian Cunningham has a second interview with the Atlanta Falcons for their open GM job. The Bears won’t receive draft picks if Cunningham is hired for that job because recently hired president of football Matt Ryan is deemed to be the “primary football executive” for the Falcons. Because of that distinction, the Bears could block Cunningham from leaving if they wanted to.
The Bears don’t seem intent on blocking Ian Cunningham.
Since this is officially designated a lateral move, the organization is within its rights to prevent Cunningham from interviewing. However, the assistant GM met with the Falcons this week anyway. That indicates the Bears won’t stand in the way of him taking the job if it’s offered and he wants it. Fans may not like that. They’ll see it as the organization willingly letting a key executive go for nothing in return. Still, Poles has made it clear from the start that he won’t stand in the way of his assistants advancing their careers when opportunities arise.
Losing Ian Cunningham will hurt. Accomplished executives like him are hard to replace. Sure, it would be nice if the Bears could get two extra draft picks for the trouble, but there is little they can do about the rules. Poles won’t compromise his word just because of that. The Bears will find a way to make do without the picks. Besides, there’s no guarantee Cunningham goes to Atlanta anyway. Rumors persist that he isn’t the clear favorite at the moment.