The Chicago Bears always knew they would eventually lose former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to a GM job. He was too good at his job and too highly respected around the league. It was only a matter of timing and opportunity. After close calls in Arizona and Tennessee, that moment arrived when the Atlanta Falcons offered him the job. Having grown up watching that team as a kid, Cunningham couldn’t pass it up. Much of this deal getting done was thanks to Matt Ryan, the former MVP quarterback, who’d been named President of Football Operations.
There was one issue.
Cunningham, a black man, is considered a minority hire. When that happens, under a recent NFL rule, the Bears would receive two 3rd-round compensatory picks. However, the rulebook apparently states that it only happens if said person is hired to the top football decision-making position in the organization. Apparently, the league believes that position belongs to Ryan, despite assurances from the man himself that he would not be making the primary decisions regarding the roster moving forward. He reaffirmed that in an interview on CBS.
“Ian’s in charge. Ian’s in charge of that space.”
This admission from Matt Ryan proves the Bears got screwed.
All signs point to Cunningham being the guy in Atlanta’s front office. What he says goes. That is the definition of a primary decision-maker. Yet because of a technicality, the Bears are robbed of two potentially valuable draft picks despite being vital in helping him get over the finish line. This is not a criticism of Cunningham. He very much deserves the position, having played a vital role in the Bears’ rebuild. The problem is that the team is losing one of its key executives for nothing despite a specific rule that had promised compensation. This isn’t about Cunningham. It’s about the NFL not keeping its word.
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Don’t say those picks don’t matter either. Here are some notable names who were selected with those picks since 2021.
| Name | Year | Result |
| Ernest Jones | 2021 | Won Super Bowl as a rookie and now starting in another |
| Leo Chenal | 2022 | Won two Super Bowls as a starting LB for the Chiefs |
| Tre Tucker | 2023 | Ascending WR for the Raiders |
| Kamren Kinchens | 2024 | Starting safety who had game-turning INT vs. Bears |
While those picks may not have produced stars, they have absolutely delivered some impact players for various teams. Two have won Super Bowls with them. The Bears have seven picks this year and seven picks in 2027. How can their odds of landing good players not improve if those numbers were pushed to eight? Good players are found between the 3rd and 4th rounds every single year.
Cunningham deserves this opportunity. He will crush it. Yet to say Matt Ryan is the primary football guy, despite him saying multiple times he’s not, is just pure indifference from the NFL towards its own rulebook. That is not fair and should be pointed out.
