For weeks, the consensus among insiders was that the Chicago Bears would not receive compensation for the loss of assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to Atlanta. Despite abundant evidence indicating Cunningham was the unquestioned top football decision-maker for the Falcons, the NFL rule stated that no compensatory picks would be awarded because, technically, Matt Ryan was considered that guy because of his title as president of football operations. Feeling the spirit of the rule was met, Bears general manager Ryan Poles filed an appeal with the league.
He hadn’t heard back at that time.
It appears something has shifted since then. With the new league year set to open next week, the NFL is preparing to award all compensatory picks. It was said the dates of March 8th through the 11th would be the range to watch for a final decision. It appears the Bears might be getting good news on that front. According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, she is now confident the team will likely receive the compensatory picks for Cunningham, netting an extra 3rd rounder this year and a 3rd in 2027.
This development might explain recent Chicago Bears activity.
It has felt for the past week that the team is maneuvering to stockpile more picks for the upcoming draft. Trading D.J. Moore to Buffalo netted them another 2nd round pick. They now have four in the first three rounds of this draft. Securing those compensatory picks would give them five. That means one of two things. Either they have five chances to secure legitimate starters for key positions on the roster, or they have the necessary ammunition to take a big swing on the trade market.
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The name everybody is watching right now is Maxx Crosby. Las Vegas wants two 1st round picks for the star pass rusher. Chicago wasn’t really in a good position to make such an offer when this process began. That would change if they get those comp picks. Suddenly, they would have two 2nd and two 3rd round picks in 2026 and a 2nd and two 3rd round picks in 2027. That should provide a reasonable enough cushion for them to keep adding young talent despite losing two 1st rounders for Crosby.
The Bears could also just use those picks to reload.
Remember, much of this team is still made up of players who weren’t acquired by head coach Ben Johnson and his staff. They may wish to rectify that. We already saw a noticeable shift in how the team evaluates talent. Johnson wants more speed across the board. Unless the Chicago Bears could acquire more picks, it would be difficult to fill every void on the depth chart they need to. Securing those comp picks would be exactly what they need. It would also be a major political win for the organization.
The NFL has a long track record of sticking to the rules in these situations. They don’t like to set a precedent. However, sometimes the evidence is overwhelming enough that they’re compelled to make an exception. It is abundantly clear that Cunningham is the primary football guy in Atlanta. Multiple people have said so, including Ryan. It will also likely say the same in his contract. Couple that with the Bears’ careful but assertive appeal, and it makes sense why the league would acquiesce.
