The Chicago Bears know the score. If you have success in the NFL, other teams will want a piece of it. That is why they almost always come poaching for your talent, be they executives or coaches. Assistant general manager Ian Cunningham has been a prominent name in league circles for years. The Bears’ recent run of misfortune has kept him around longer than expected. However, their recent breakout in 2025 may have finally drawn too much attention to his work. Teams are already sniffing around him, and one stands above the rest.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, there is a possibility that the Atlanta Falcons will fire GM Terry Fontenot this offseason. If that is the case, he believes Matt Ryan, who is set to rejoin the team in a front office role, could push to bring Cunningham to Atlanta. Ryan is close friends with GM Ryan Poles, dating back to their days as teammates at Boston College. It isn’t hard to imagine Poles putting in a good word for his partner, who has been ready for his shot for quite some time.
All that isn’t to say everyone’s safe. But the winning streak will likely help coach Raheem Morris, in his second year, more than GM Terry Fontenot, who’s in his fifth year (Atlanta last made the playoffs in 2018). If there’s a GM change, Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham would be a name to watch, given the close relationship between Ryan and Chicago GM Ryan Poles, who was a lineman for the quarterback at Boston College 20 years ago.
Ian Cunningham to Atlanta would be so appropriate.
After all, the Falcons have made a strange habit of scooping up Bears castoffs for the past few years. They hired former GM Phil Emery as a scout in 2016 after Chicago fired him. Then, they repeated the same thing in 2022, bringing in former GM Ryan Pace as a senior personnel executive. Hiring Ian Cunningham directly from the Bears would be the fitting trifecta, and perhaps the third time is the charm. The man has now helped three different organizations find success. He has been groomed for this opportunity.
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If the Bears do lose him over the next month, they will receive two compensatory 3rd round picks since he’s a minority candidate. That should give Poles some needed flexibility to keep filling out the roster with young talent. It would be one last gift from Cunningham before he charts his own path. The big question is whether Atlanta will be the only team in on him. There could end up being some competition. We should find out one way or another over the next two or three weeks.
