The Chicago Bears will not receive draft pick compensation after losing former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham to the Atlanta Falcons’ GM vacancy, the NFL announced Friday.<\/p>\n
“The matter is now closed following the club’s appeal. The NFL informed the Bears today they will not receive compensatory picks,” the league said in a statement shared by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport<\/a>.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The NFL originally ruled on March 9 that the Bears would not receive any compensatory picks, indicating the league sees Falcons president of football Matt Ryan and not Cunningham as the club’s primary football executive, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chicago appealed that initial decision, which is now final, per Rapoport.<\/p>\n The Bears were seeking compensation under the NFL’s Rooney Rule<\/a>, which allots teams third-round picks in consecutive drafts if one of their minority coaches or executives is hired by another team.<\/p>\n The rule specifically states<\/a> a team can receive compensation only if their employee is hired “as either a head coach or primary football executive.” The split between the NFL and the Bears apparently hinges on the word “primary.”<\/p>\n Bears general manager Ryan Poles had told reporters<\/a> back at the NFL scouting combine in February he felt the policy was “a little strange,” but that he felt the Bears should benefit from it under current rules.<\/p>\n “At the end of the day, that’s not the purpose of why we develop our staff, but if that’s the rule they have in place, then I think it’s very clear in this situation what should happen,” Poles said in February.<\/p>\n