Chicago Bears Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham Accepts Falcons GM Job

The Ian Cunningham domino has fallen. Now the question becomes whether the Bears will get two third-round picks for it.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham is glad to be focused on the draft after a time when he was in limbo pursuing GM jobs. | Photo: Chicago Bears video

Well, it finally happened. Someone finally put a ring on Ian Cunningham's finger. The Bears' assistant general manager accepted the job to become the Atlanta Falcons' next general manager after conducting his second interview for the job this afternoon.

ESPN sources: Falcons are hiring Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham as their general manager. pic.twitter.com/cpKHPlxotg

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 30, 2026

Cunningham was one of the top candidates for the past few years and was a regular on Albert Breer's annual future GMs list. He was a finalist for the Cardinals' open GM job two years ago (before removing his hat from the ring) and the Titans and Commanders jobs last offseason.

It was really only a matter of time before he left Chicago to pursue his own GM position.

He joined the Bears alongside Ryan Poles in 2022 and has been a key member of their front office ever since. He has shown a strong eye for talent and is a major reason the team has enjoyed an impressive influx of talent over the past three drafts (with their best work coming via their highly impressive haul from the 2025 NFL Draft).

Notably, he also did a great job of talking Poles down from some ill-advised trades in the war room. Poles was actually mulling over trading up for Rome Odunze in the 2024 NFL Draft before Cunningham convinced him to stay patient.

Make no mistake, losing Cunningham will be a loss. However, the blow will be softened if the Bears land two third-round picks for his services. That was previously the expectation under the Rooney Rule, a policy initiated to reward teams for developing minority coaches and front office personnel.

With that said, there have been questions about whether the Bears will actually cash in with draft picks for this specific hire, as Matt Ryan, who was hired as the Falcons' president earlier this month, is considered the head decision maker there. Personally, I think that would be ridiculous. Ian Cunningham was the assistant general manager in Chicago, and he is now the general manager in Atlanta.

If that is the stance the NFL takes (which would be odd considering it was a rule that they initiated in the first place), then the Bears should appeal. And that's an appeal they should win.

Before coming to Chicago, Cunningham was employed by two Super Bowl-winning teams. He was on the Ravens staff as a personnel assistant in 2012 and was the Eagles director of college scouting in 2017.

The 40-year-old will now head to Atlanta, where he will oversee a pretty talented football team. They hit a home run in the 2024 NFL Draft and have a few blue-chip skill players on the offensive side of the ball.

As for the Bears, Jeff King, their current senior director of player personnel, is a name to keep an eye on as his potential replacement. He has been a member of their front office since 2019 and is considered a well-respected figure in the front office.

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