Chances are improving that the Chicago Bears will need to hire a new assistant general manager for their front office before the start of the 2026 league year.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham will have a second, in-person interview for the Atlanta Falcons‘ GM position this week and is now a finalist to join the staff under newly hired president of football Matt Ryan.
“Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham will do a second, in-person interview for the Atlanta Falcons general manager job this week, per source,” Fowler wrote Tuesday on X. “Cunningham also was a finalist for Atlanta’s president of football job that went to Matt Ryan.”
Cunningham also was a finalist for Atlanta’s president of football job that went to Matt Ryan.
As Fowler mentioned, Cunningham also interviewed for the newly created president of football job that ultimately went to Ryan, making this at least his third interview with the franchise in some executive capacity during the 2026 hiring cycle. At this point, it seems likely that Ryan will pick Cunningham, especially given Ryan Poles’ influence.
Cunningham is not the only finalist for the Falcons job, though.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has reported that Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert is also a finalist for the job and will have a second interview this week as well. He also added that Liipfert had a “strong first interview” with the Falcons for the role.
The Falcons won’t likely take much longer to make their decision, as they have less than a month before the 2026 NFL Combine and only six weeks until the league year begins.
Should Bears Consider Blocking Ian Cunningham Hire?
The Falcons might not hire Cunningham as their next general manager, but if they do, the Bears seem to have a practical reason to block the hire — even though they won’t.
According to reports from two different Bears insiders, Chicago would not receive the two third-round compensatory picks that the league traditionally awards to franchises that develop minority coaches or executives and lose them to promotions elsewhere.
Cunningham would normally fit the requirements if he accepted another GM position, which is why Bears fans have excitedly rooted for him over the past three offseasons as he has continued to garner hiring interest and interviews for general manager positions.
However, as The Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley first reported and The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs confirmed, the Rooney Rule’s compensatory payout is contingent on the departing executive becoming the “primary decision-maker” with his new team. And because the Falcons have designated Ryan for that role, Cunningham won’t net the Bears two comp picks if he is offered and accepts the general manager job with Atlanta.
Not a great deal for the Bears.
Why Ryan Poles Will Likely Let Ian Cunningham Go
While the Bears would have a reason to block the Falcons from hiring Cunningham, though, Poles — their own GM — is unlikely to stop what he helped put in motion.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Poles has been involved in helping Ryan with “the entire hiring process” since he first accepted the job on January 10. He and Ryan were teammates at Boston College and have remained friends over the years.
In other words, if Poles is helping guide his buddy on his GM search, and one of his close confidants is a finalist in that same search, it seems highly unlikely that he would then turn around and stop Ryan from bringing Cunningham aboard with the Falcons.
To some extent, you would have to respect Poles if he helped that all come together for Cunningham, especially if his partnership with Ryan and the Falcons results in success. There is nothing wrong with Bears fans hoping that Cunningham decides to spend one more year in Chicago before accepting a job that nets them their rightful comp picks.
Bears Get Update on Ian Cunningham Amid Falcons’ GM Search