Bears chairman George McCaskey was part of the team’s an in-person appeal in New York, but the NFL wasn’t swayed from its original decision. Michael Reaves / Getty Images
April 3, 2026 12:39 pm EDT
The Chicago Bears won’t be getting any compensatory draft picks for Ian Cunningham’s jump to become general manager of the Atlanta Falcons after four years as Ryan Poles’ assistant GM at Halas Hall.
The NFL on Friday rejected the Bears’ appeal of the original decision. Had it been successful, the Bears would have picked up a third-round pick in this month’s NFL Draft and another in next year’s.
“The matter is now closed following the club’s appeal,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL informed the Bears today they will not receive compensatory picks. The policy is designed to provide picks for the Primary Football Executive position. The League determined Mr. Cunningham did not fill that role with the Falcons as it is defined in League rules.”
Poles, Bears chairman George McCaskey and president/CEO Kevin Warren made their appeal in person at the league office in New York. The Bears argued that under Resolution JC-2A, a diversity-driven provision to distribute draft picks to franchises that develop minority personnel into head coaches and GMs, they were entitled to the compensation in the spirit and intent of the policy. But the NFL confirmed that it considers Atlanta’s primary football executive to be Matt Ryan, who was hired by the Falcons earlier this offseason to their newly created position of president of football.
“I think we made a pretty compelling case,” McCaskey said Wednesday at the NFL’s annual league meeting at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
Cunningham handled all of his team’s GM duties at the spring meeting, similar to many of his counterparts. Plus, as Bears fans adamantly pointed out, Cunningham was the Falcons’ representative in the annual GM photo. Ryan, his supervisor, was not.
The matter is now moot, and the Bears will continue preparations for this month’s draft, in which they own seven selections, including four in the top 90.
Apr 3, 2026
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