Finally, Ian Cunningham has landed a general manager’s gig. After four years as the Chicago Bears assistant general manager, Cunningham was hired away by the Atlanta Falcons to become their new GM. It is a bump in title and responsibilities for Cunningham, but it isn’t without red tape and controversy. Let’s discuss.
What did Ian Cunningham do as Bears assistant general manager?
Before we dive into the nitty gritty, we need to lay out what Cunningham’s role was in the Bears front office.
Firstly, it is worth pointing out that Cunningham was the first assistant GM in franchise history. For all the fair criticisms you can lob in Ryan Poles’ general direction, the expansion of the front office and addition of an assistant GM who could serve as his right-hand man was a shrewd move — and one that was long overdue for a franchise that isn’t known for building outward or up in terms of its organizational structure.
Being GM Ryan Poles’ right-hand man paid off when Cunningham saved the Bears from trading away a pick on the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft. It is easy to imagine Poles and Cunningham building the type of trust over the years that would lead to the GM holding off on making a reactionary move when it wasn’t necessary. Hopefully, whoever replaces Cunningham can build that same type of trust, serve as a sounding board of sorts for the GM, and serve as a checks-and-balances that could help Poles and the decision-makers at Halas Hall keep the organization’s arrow pointing upward after an 11-win season that saw the team’s first playoff win in 15 years.
More on potential replacement candidates later in this post.
(Photo via Getty Images)Why aren’t the Bears getting compensatory draft picks for losing Ian Cunningham?
I don’t have a great answer for this question, but I hope the NFL provides one in short order. The Bears losing their No. 2 in command to a promotion should trigger draft pick compensation. Full stop. Folks can talk around it ad nauseam, but comments from Falcons owner Arthur Blank and President of Football Matt Ryan outlining the job specifications for the general manager role they just filled by hiring Ian Cunningham make it clear why Chicago’s football team should be getting draft picks after losing its assistant GM.
Quotes via the Falcons’ official website after the hiring of Matt Ryan as the team’s president of football:
Falcons owner Arthur Blank: “Matt’s made it clear to me: He has no desire to do their job. The coach will pick the coaches, assistant coaches, coordinators, etc. GM will style out their whole organization, helping to draft and free agency, etc.” Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan: “The general manager role is going to be exactly the same as what it’s been here before. That’s something we’ve made clear to everybody on the coaching side that we’ve met with up until this point, and we’ll make clear through that process to the general managers that we’re going to look at in that process as well.”What makes this sting more is that the San Francisco 49ers were given draft pick compensation after losing Martin Mayhew to the Washington Football Team. Mayhew was given the general manager title, but fell behind Ron Rivera as the lead football decision-maker. That the NFL isn’t following the precedent it set boggles my mind.
That the Bears aren’t getting compensatory draft picks for losing Ian Cunningham feels like shenanigans. And not the good kind, either. Not giving Chicago the compensatory picks because of Ryan’s title is clearly not in the spirit of the rules put in place by the league in 2020 (h/t Albert Breer) that were intended to promote candidates that otherwise wouldn’t get opportunities and reward teams that develop those candidates who move through their organization. Frankly, I hope Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Kevin Warren, and General Manager Ryan Poles make a big stink about it. Simply put: The Bears should get compensatory picks or the rule should be changed — if not, eliminated.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesWho are some candidates to replace Ian Cunningham as Bears Assistant GM?
Losing Ian Cunningham stinks, but the show goes on at Halas Hall.
The obvious name to watch for here is Jeff King, who has the title of Senior Director of Player Personnel. King, who was an NFL tight end from 2006-12, joined the Bears as a scouting intern in 2015 and has been moving up the organizational charts ever since. He has been a pro scout (2016-19) and has had the titles of assistant director of pro scouting (2019-21) and director of pro scouting (2021-22). Folks around the league seem to respect King, too. If you’ll recall, he (and Ian Cunningham) interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers general manager opening in January 2024.
Another internal candidate could be Trey Koziol, who currently has a director of player personnel title. Koziol joined the Bears in March 2022 after spending time as the Kansas City Chiefs’ director of college scouting. And by the time May 2022 rolled around, he was sharing co-director of player personnel duties with King. I also wonder if Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson has anyone in mind for that role. After putting his stamp on the organization with his arrival last January, I’d be curious to pick his mind about possible organizational fits to replace Ian Cunningham.
In the end…
The Bears were in a no-win situation when it came to this Ian Cunningham spot. Blocking him from getting an interview would have made for rough optics. No franchise wants to be known as a team that doesn’t let its employees move up in the world. And what kind of friend would Ryan Poles be if he stopped his pal from interviewing? I suppose the powers that be at Halas Hall could have promoted Ryan Poles (Chief Football Officer sounds like a fancy title that would’ve worked), then moved Cunningham into the GM role to serve as a soft block. But, again, the optics might have led to an unsavory narrative from those on the outside looking in.
But letting Ian Cunningham go without getting compensation stings. Draft picks are valuable. Some of your favorite Bears players of all-time were third-round picks. Seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs was a third-round pick in 2003. Six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz was chosen in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Wide receiver Marty Booker, who had a 100-catch season in 2001 and was a Pro Bowler in 2002 was a third-round selection in 1999. Four-time Pro Bowl safety, and Super Bowl XX champion, Dave Duerson was a third-rounder in 1983. I could go on, but you get my point.
My hope here is that the NFL comes around to doing the right thing now that the dust has settled on the Ian Cunningham situation. There will certainly be discussions about this ordeal throughout Super Bowl week, so I’ll be keeping tabs on any possible updates. Stay tuned.
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