Chicago Bears fans have more than a vested interest in one of the big job openings in the NFL going into the playoffs.
The Atlanta Falcons are busy with first finding a president of football before filling the general manager and head coach roles. One reason Bears fans are interested is that Chicago assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is expected to be one of the favorites for the Falcons GM job.
A lot of that depends on what happens with the president of football job with the Falcons. The Athletic's Dianna Russini spoke about the search for Atlanta and Bears general manager Ryan Poles' involvement.
"It’s widely believed around the NFL that Matt Ryan will indeed become the Falcons’ new president of football. Ryan & Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles are very close friends, dating back to their playing days at BC. I’m told Poles has been helping Ryan on the entire hiring process."
Ryan Poles could be helping Ian Cunningham get a new job in Atlanta
Poles and Ryan go back to their college days at Boston College. There, Poles was an offensive lineman protecting quarterback Ryan before the Falcons would make Ryan their franchise quarterback for over a decade.
If Ryan is hired as the president of football for the Falcons, this opens up the door for Cunningham to get the general manager job. Cunningham is already one of Atlanta's top targets and could be in line to get hired there before finding a head coach.
Poles should get credit not only for being a good friend to Ryan and prepping him for these interviews, but also for setting up his colleague, Cunningham, to get a job. This speaks highly of the Poles' character and shows he will gain a ton of respect from his colleagues, the other 31 NFL general managers.
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Of course, with all the success the Bears are having, a franchise never wants to lose people, but it's also a good look to have them promoted to other teams. Chicago has shown in recent years that it has good talent in the front office, so it will open the door for another rising star to step up and help the Bears build a great roster.