The Chicago Bears are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and because they came out of nowhere, they are going to get a lot of attention this offseason. Other teams will look at their front offices to see if they can find their next general manager.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated went through the top GM candidates across the NFL, and it should be no surprise that the Bears have a couple of candidates.
Chicago Bears have two future general managers on their team
Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham was the first person listed. He was labeled as a GM-in-waiting. Cunningham has been a hot name since the Bears hired him, and everyone figured it was a matter of time until he got the roster under control and his name got hot.
Cunningham has worked extensively in the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles front offices, so this is the third group he has been part of where a turnover has occurred. Roster stability has been implemented. It will be hard to keep him as an assistant much longer, and he will take on many interviews in the coming weeks.
The other name mentioned is Jeff King, the director of player personnel. King was a tight end in the NFL, and he was drafted in 2006. He became a scouting intern for the Chicago Bears in 2015 and has ridden that all the way.
This means he has survived multiple general managers and head coaches. Going from scout to director of pro scouting to director of player personnel shows he is rising quickly, and everyone who talks to him wants to hear more.
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The good thing for the Chicago Bears is that he is still young, and this is only his second season in this specific role. That is why Breer labeled him as someone closing in on candidacy but not on the doorstep. King may take interviews, but not as many as Cunningham.
Still, he is likely a few years away from getting the Cunningham treatment and everyone knows it.