The Chicago Bears always knew Ian Cunningham wasn’t going to be around forever. When you’ve got a top-tier personnel mind in your front office-someone respected across the league and instrumental in a rebuild-it’s only a matter of time before another team comes calling.
That time has now arrived. The Atlanta Falcons made the move, and Cunningham is officially their new general manager.
It’s a full-circle moment for Cunningham, who grew up watching the Falcons. The opportunity to lead the team he rooted for as a kid?
That’s the kind of story that writes itself. But this hire didn’t come out of nowhere.
Cunningham had been in the mix for GM jobs before, including serious looks in Arizona and Tennessee. The difference this time?
Atlanta had just named former NFL MVP Matt Ryan as their new President of Football Operations-and Ryan pushed hard to bring Cunningham aboard.
There’s no question Cunningham earned this role. He was a driving force in reshaping the Bears’ roster, helping position them for long-term success. But while this is a win for Cunningham and the Falcons, it’s a bitter pill for Chicago.
Here’s why.
Under the NFL’s diversity hiring initiative, teams that develop minority candidates for head coach or general manager roles are rewarded with two third-round compensatory draft picks when those individuals are hired away. It’s a rule designed to incentivize the development of diverse leadership talent-and it’s already made an impact across the league.
But there’s a catch.
Those picks are only awarded if the departing executive is hired into the top football decision-making role in their new organization. And in this case, the NFL doesn’t believe Cunningham qualifies-because Matt Ryan, as President of Football Operations, technically sits above him on the org chart.
That’s where things get murky.
Ryan himself has gone on record to say Cunningham is running the show when it comes to football decisions. In a recent interview on CBS, he made it crystal clear:
“Ian’s in charge. Ian’s in charge of that space.”
That’s not vague. That’s not a half-answer.
That’s a direct statement from the man whose title supposedly disqualifies the Bears from receiving draft compensation. And yet, the league is holding firm-no picks for Chicago.
Let’s be honest: that’s a tough break. The Bears invested in Cunningham’s development, gave him a platform to grow, and now they’re losing him for nothing. Not because he didn’t get a GM job-he did-but because of a technicality in the rulebook that doesn’t seem to match reality.
And yes, those third-round picks matter. Since the rule was implemented in 2021, we’ve seen a handful of impact players come out of those slots.
No, they’re not always stars-but they’re contributors. Two have even won Super Bowls.
For a team like the Bears, who currently hold seven picks in both the 2026 and 2027 drafts, bumping that number to eight in each year could be the difference between filling a key depth spot or missing out on a future starter.
This isn’t a knock on Matt Ryan or the Falcons. Ryan’s doing what he believes is best for his new role, and Cunningham is absolutely the right hire.
This is about the NFL needing to follow through on the spirit of a rule it created. If the goal is to reward teams for developing diverse leadership talent, then the Bears should be rewarded-especially when the very person supposedly above Cunningham says he’s not making those calls.
Cunningham’s going to do great things in Atlanta. That’s not in question.
But the Bears should’ve walked away from this with more than just a handshake and a thank-you. They helped develop a top-tier executive, and by the NFL’s own standards, they should be compensated for it.
Instead, they’re left empty-handed. And that’s something the league needs to take a hard look at.