Jan. 29, 2026, 8:39 p.m. CT
The Chicago Bears are losing assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to the Atlanta Falcons, as he is set to become their new general manager. Cunningham has been with the Bears since 2022 as general manager Ryan Poles’ right-hand man and played a key role in the team’s rebuild over the last few seasons, which culminated in an 11-6 record and an NFC North division title in 2025.
With Cunningham leaving the Bears to join the Falcons, the question becomes whether or not the team will receive compensatory picks in the upcoming drafts. Beginning in 2021, the league began rewarding teams that develop minority front office and coaching candidates who receive general manager and head coach promotions with other organizations with a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks. Since Cunningham is a minority, the Bears normally would receive picks with him leaving for a general manager role.
However, because the general manager position Cunningham is taking is not the “primary football executive” position, the league will not reward the Bears with those compensatory picks, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The league views the Falcons’ general manager position as the secondary football executive under Matt Ryan, who was hired earlier in January as the team’s president of football operations. This isn’t something the team can appeal to the league as well, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
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