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How Ian Cunningham missing out on Jaguars GM job affects the Chicago Bears' future

The Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL draft haul could've been boosted if Ian Cunningham was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here's what it means now that he wasn't.
Lorin Cox|
Mar 16, 2023; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall.
Mar 16, 2023; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears thought they might gain two extra third round picks this offseason.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had other plans.

Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was a finalist for the general manager position in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars decided to hire James Gladstone instead.

Some Bears fans were convinced Ryan Poles was going to lose his right-hand man, who interviewed twice for the top job in Jacksonville.

Had Cunningham been hired by the Jaguars, the Bears would have been awarded two third-round compensatory picks — one in 2025 and one in 2026.

It's part of the NFL's expanded Rooney Rule, where any team that loses a minority coach or front office staff to a GM or head coach position on another team then receives a third round compensatory pick in each of the next two drafts.

It's a way to motivate teams to hire and develop minority coaches and scouts to give them more opportunities to rise up in a league historically dominated by white coaches and general managers.

Cunningham will have to wait until the next hiring cycle to get another chance to run his own team.

When he does, the Bears will miss having a smart mind in their front office, but the extra draft picks will help make the loss more tolerable.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the host of the Locked on Bears podcast and has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2016. He is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus and has written for NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today's Bears Wire. You can follow him on Twitter @CoxSports1.

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