The Chicago Bears Get It Right With Their Assistant General Manager Hire

The Bears were smart to stay in-house for their Ian Cunningham replacement.

Sep 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A general view of Chicago Bears helmets before the start of the game against Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Some were unsure if the Bears were going to sign someone to replace Ian Cunningham as their assistant general manager. They answered that question today, as they announced that Jeff King, who has been a member of the team's scouting staff for the previous decade, would be promoted to the position.

Jeff King has been promoted to Assistant General Manager 🐻⬇️

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) February 19, 2026

Chicago Bears ownership may be fumbling the stadium situation (although you could say the same about Illinois lawmakers), but they didn't fumble this hire. King was always a worthy candidate to replace Cunningham.

King is a former NFL tight end who actually enjoyed a relatively long career. He started 84 games for the Panthers and Cardinals across his seven years in the league after being selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

He began his executive career after being hired by the Bears as a scouting intern in 2015. He was promoted to a pro scout the following year and got his foot in the door of Chicago's front office after landing the assistant director of pro scouting job in 2019.

From there, he continued to work his way up in the front office. Ryan Poles not only retained him after being hired in 2022, but he also promoted him to the position of co-director of player personnel. The Bears' general manager gave King a glowing endorsement in the promotion announcement.

"We congratulate Jeff on his elevation within our football operations department," Poles said via ChicagoBears.com. "Jeff has earned this promotion through his commitment to our team and his excellence within our operation, as well as the positive impact that he has created throughout our organization. We look forward to Jeff's continued leadership and contributions as we work toward building a sustained winner."

King is a rare success story for NFL standards. Front office personnel rarely go from scouting intern to assistant GM in 10 years. It's a testament to the work he puts in behind the scenes.

He has shown a keen eye for talent and he credits his playing days as a valuable factor in that regard.

"There are certain things that you wholeheartedly believe in that made you successful as a player that you can carry over when you go into a school and [project] where a player could be three years down the road," King said when speaking to ChicagoBears.com. "And then just the knowledge I collected over the years as a player, there are some things you see on tape that you know exactly what they're going through, and that's helpful."

He has been featured as a name to keep an eye on in Albert Breer's annual future GM list over the past two years and has earned a significant amount of respect from his peers. He's highly regarded in NFL circles and would've probably been poached (potentially in the same role as the one he will have for Chicago) if Ian Cunningham were to stick around for a few more years.

Instead, the Bears made the logical move of promoting him to the assistant GM position themselves. Now the question will become whether they also promote from within or find some new blood for the senior director of player personnel role that he leaves behind.

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