Ian Cunningham has been flirting with a GM position for years, even from the moment he arrived to join the Chicago Bears. At last, his moment has come. The Atlanta Falcons, led by new president of football operations Matt Ryan, have hired Cunningham to become their new general manager. He leaves the Bears in a good place, having won their first division title in seven years and setting them up with a franchise quarterback (Caleb Williams) and outstanding head coach (Ben Johnson).
The first thing to determine for the Bears is whether they receive two 3rd round compensatory picks for the loss. Usually, teams do so when a minority candidate gets a GM or head coaching position. However, an odd NFL rule says that wouldn’t be the case if it’s considered a lateral move. Since Ryan is technically the lead football decision-maker in Atlanta, Cunningham doesn’t qualify despite the new title. It will be interesting to see if the Bears appeal that ruling since Ryan has said the GM will make the calls.
Replacing Ian Cunningham is the other part.
Ryan Poles long trusted him as his right-hand man. The Bears’ GM will have to find someone else to fill that void. All signs point to Jeff King, the senior director of player personnel, receiving a promotion. He has gained significant credibility in the front office over the past few years. Poles has leaned on him in several instances, and he’s also respected around the league. It seems like an easy decision. The more interesting part is whether the Bears decide to fill the void in the front office.
While King might replace Ian Cunningham as assistant GM, it still leaves the team down one of their best talent evaluators. Could Poles look outside the organization for help? There are plenty of potential names on the free agent market who could step in. Much depends on what sort of connections Poles has and whether he can lure somebody he wants to Chicago. We will likely find out those details within the next couple of weeks.
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Either way, good for Cunningham. This has been a long time coming.
