Bears ‘Secret Weapon’ Being Targeted for NFL GM Roles

Getty Chicago Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams.

The Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals have requested permission to interview Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, according to a report from Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer.

Cunningham is in his first year with the Bears after beginning his career in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Despite his short tenure, Cunningham has elevated his profile immensely. He attended the NFL’s Front Office Accelerator Program in December 2022, an initiative aimed at increasing diversity in the league’s front offices. The Bears would earn a compensatory draft pick should any team poach Cunningham.

Bears’ Ian Cunningham Is a Star on the Rise

Ryan Poles hired Ian Cunningham as one of his first acts as Bears GM. Just four days into his new job Poles targeted Cunningham as his second in command. Cunningham is known around the league as an adept recruiter and has been called a “secret weapon” in the Bears front office. Cunningham started his career with the Baltimore Ravens as an area scout. He credits NFL legend and former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome for teaching him how to evaluate talent at the NFL level.

In a March 2022 interview with ChicagoBears.com Cunningham spoke about his time in Baltimore.

“I’d go into the office of Ozzie Newsome every single night and pick his brain as I’m putting magnets up,” Cunningham said. “[I’d ask], ‘Who’d you watch today?’ Or just having conversations and learning: ‘How do you evaluate talent? What do you see in this player?’ Just learning as much as you could and soaking it in.”

Cunningham would leave Baltimore in 2017 for a personnel job with the Philadelphia Eagles. In Philly Cunningham quickly rose the ranks, initially hired as the director of college scouting Cunningham would end up being the Eagles’ director of player personnel in just five years.

Cunningham’s constant presence at GM Ryan Poles side is not just a product of his influence on the team, but also illustrates the close relationship between them. The two men were both un-drafted rookie offensive linemen back in 2008 and have since grown close over the years as they ascended in their respected careers. When asked about his relationship with Poles Cunningham told ChicagoBears.com,

“Our team success matters to us. His success matters to me. My success matters to him. Whatever we can do to help each other succeed, that’s what we want to do, and it’s genuine … Working together, it’s awesome. I couldn’t have hoped for anything more.”

Going Out on Top

The Tennessee Titans fired GM Jon Robinson earlier this season following a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13. At the time they were comfortably in first place of the AFC South, and headed toward a playoff berth. After firing Robinson Tennessee wouldn’t win another game all season. The Titans finished their season with seven straight losses, culminating in a Week 18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that ultimately decided the division.

In Arizona, the Cardinals are looking to replace longtime GM Steve Keim, who has been in the position since 2013. Keim played a big part in constructing the Cardinals’ 2015 NFC West Championship team. Keim spent much of the year on medical leave and has chosen not to return to the team.