The Chicago Bears could not be any less surprised to hear that their assistant general manager Ian Cunningham landed the Atlanta Falcons general manager job.
It was expected, as Bears general manager Ryan Poles and new Falcons president of football operations Matt Ryan have a past together from their playing days at Boston College. Cunningham was always the favorite to land the job and finally got his shot at calling the plays.
Now that Cunningham and the Falcons will be working together, some free-agent Bears players might be drawn to Atlanta as a landing spot. Chicago already won't get compensatory picks from the hiring, so losing key players from the roster would be an even worse sting to the fan base.
Andrew Billings, DT
Billings wasn't exactly a game breaker, but he filled in the starting lineup nicely for the Bears during the season. He finished with 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and one sack in 17 games with 14 of them starts. The Falcons need help with their interior line, so the Bears might have to let Billings go and hope that second-round pick Shemar Turner ends up being a great player.
D'Marco Jackson, LB
Chicago cannot let Jackson walk out the door, as he was stellar in the second half of the Bears' season at linebacker after dealing with multiple injuries at the position. Jackson racked up 43 tackles, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, one fumble recovery, and one interception in 16 games. Even if it means that someone like Tremaine Edmunds or T.J. Edwards needs to be traded, make room for Jackson, or the Falcons might have a new starting linebacker in 2026.
Olamide Zaccheaus , WR
This one might not bring many tears from Bears fans, but Zaccheaus is still a solid NFL receiver who can add depth. He finished last year, catching only 43% of his targets, with 39 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns. It might be a nice reunion for Atlanta to have Zaccheaus back to support Drake London, but the Bears have three solid receivers starting, so, aside from bad injuries, he could walk, and Chicago would be okay.
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C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DB
Gardner-Johnson did everything for the Bears from the slot and ended up being one of the most important signings to the team. In 10 games with Chicago, he finished with 51 tackles, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, four pass deflections, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Cunningham would love nothing more than to have Gardner-Johnson help that Falcons secondary that struggled against the pass, but with so many defensive backs departing from Chicago, Poles has to find a way to lure the corner back for 2026.