Raven Country

Former Ravens Exec Makes Final Cut for Jaguars GM Job

A former Baltimore Ravens executive could soon become an NFL general manager for the first time.
Jon Alfano|
Aug 24, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Baltimore Ravens helmet prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Aug 24, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Baltimore Ravens helmet prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

With the Baltimore Ravens having one of the most stable and successful front offices in the NFL, it's no surprise that many of their former executives are now thriving with other teams.

Only one current general manager has a background with the Ravens, that being Joe Horitz of the Los Angeles Chargers. However, another could soon join him.

On Saturday, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the last team without a general manager in place, announced the five candidates who earned second interviews for the position. Among them was Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, who worked with the Ravens for nine years from 2008-16.

After failing to make the Kansas City Chiefs' roster as an undrafted free agent in 2008, Cunningham realized his future was not on the field, but rather in the front office. He joined the Ravens as a personnel assistant soon after, and remained in that position until earning a promotion to an area scout in 2013.

Cunningham then held various director roles with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2017-21, and the Bears hired him as the assistant GM to Ryan Poles in 2022. Now, he has a chance to fulfill a lifelong goal and lead a team for the first time.

“It feels great in the sense of this is what I’ve worked for my entire life and career,” Cunningham told The Athletic in August. “Knowing what I’ve wanted to do since I was in middle school, high school and setting that goal for myself. … Realizing I’m on the cusp of that, I’m extremely fortunate to have the interviews in which I’ve had and the opportunities in which I’ve had. I just view it as just keep chopping, and it’ll happen in the right time.”

The Jaguars' general manager situation has been a bit of a mess this offseason. They initially decided to keep Trent Baalke, then fired him after Liam Coen pulled out of the coaching search, only to actually hire Coen and let him have a say in the GM search. So, it's been an interesting ride to say the least.

The other finalists for the job are Los Angeles Rams director of scouting James Gladstone, Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams and Jaguars interim general manager Ethan Waugh.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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