The tough part about being a successful team is that they are bound to lose top guys as other NFL teams try to replicate their success.
That appears to be the case for the Chicago Bears, who have been in unfamiliar territory in recent years. Chicago's front office has been rumored to be targeted in the offseason for general manager openings around the NFL, with Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham being at the top of the list.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles' top guy finally got the request everyone has been expecting, as the Atlanta Falcons have requested an interview with Cunningham for their open general manager job, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. This has been reported over the last two weeks as an expectation.
Ian Cunningham gets his chance to interview with the Atlanta Falcons
Cunningham is expected to be one of the front-runners for the Falcons' general manager job, as he's got a lot of connections there. The biggest one is that the new president of football, Matt Ryan, knows Poles very well, as they both played together at Boston College, with Ryan at quarterback and Poles on the offensive line.
Poles has also helped his friend Ryan prepare for his new job. Many must think that at some point, a conversation about Cunningham being the new general manager had to have been brought up.
Cunningham has been with the Bears since 2022 as the assistant general manager for Poles. Before Chicago, Cunningham also had long stops with the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles as a scout and as director of scouting.
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There will be other candidates interviewing for the Falcons' job, but Cunningham is in a prime position to get the job, which could lead to some restructuring within the Bears' front office in the offseason.