The Chicago Bears have lost their assistant general manager, Ian Cunningham, to the Atlanta Falcons. In a surprise move, the Falcons agreed to hire Cunningham as their new general manager after interviewing him for a third time this month.
Cunningham, who is one of six finalists for the NFL's Protector of the Year award, had been a finalist for several GM jobs in recent years but turned down the Arizona Cardinals' offer in 2023. He also discussed potential opportunities with the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason.
The Bears had created an assistant general manager position when Ryan Poles became general manager in 2022. Cunningham was hired by Poles, who is also a close friend of his, having attended Boston College together. Despite being one of six finalists for the Protector of the Year award, Cunningham expressed his gratitude to the Bears organization and the staff, coaches, players, and fans for their support during his time with the team.
It remains to be seen how this move will impact the Bears' roster and coaching staff, but it's clear that Cunningham has made a significant impression in just two years at the organization.
Cunningham, who is one of six finalists for the NFL's Protector of the Year award, had been a finalist for several GM jobs in recent years but turned down the Arizona Cardinals' offer in 2023. He also discussed potential opportunities with the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason.
The Bears had created an assistant general manager position when Ryan Poles became general manager in 2022. Cunningham was hired by Poles, who is also a close friend of his, having attended Boston College together. Despite being one of six finalists for the Protector of the Year award, Cunningham expressed his gratitude to the Bears organization and the staff, coaches, players, and fans for their support during his time with the team.
It remains to be seen how this move will impact the Bears' roster and coaching staff, but it's clear that Cunningham has made a significant impression in just two years at the organization.
, he was always one of my dark horses for the GM job. But, I gotta wonder if this move is a step forward or a step back for the Bears 
? They created that assistant GM spot to give Ryan Poles more freedom to focus on bigger picture stuff, and now they're losing the guy who was supposed to help him do just that 
. Still, credit to Cunningham for his skills and work ethic - he's definitely a talented player in the GM game 
. But, I hope the Bears can regroup and find someone who'll take on that role with similar level of expertise 
just heard about Ian Cunningham leaving the Chicago Bears for the Atlanta Falcons!!! 
I'm low-key shocked cuz he was doing such an amazing job as their assistant GM! 
It's crazy how he's one of six finalists for the Protector of the Year award 
and now he's getting hired by the Falcons? 
Anyway, I'm sending all my love to the Bears fam 
hope they get someone even better than Cunningham! 
Like, seriously? The Chicago Bears let go of their assistant GM like it was nothing?! Ian Cunningham was basically running that department for Poles, so I'm surprised they didn't make him full-time GM or something. And now he's off to Atlanta because... well, who wouldn't want to leave a team run by Ryan Poles after two years? 
The Falcons must've been like, "Hey, we'll take the talent and experience over paying him". But for real, Cunningham did say thanks to the Bears org, staff, coaches, players, and fans. That's cool, I guess.
! They've been circling around Ian Cunningham like vultures and finally swooped him up! I'm a bit sad for the Bears though, he was one of the good guys 
. Two years flew by fast, I remember he was all excited about joining Ryan Poles' team 
. Hopefully, they won't take it too harshly, after all, Cunningham left on good terms 
️
️ And let's be real, it's not like he's gonna magically fix all their problems. The Bears had him for a good reason - they knew what they were getting into. It's always weird when teams make moves and it feels like they're just trying to shake things up. I guess we'll see how this plays out... 
Either way, it's def interesting to see how this move will affect the Bears. I feel bad for them cuz they had him on their team for 2 yrs and all. But Congrats to Cunningham fam! He deserves all the best 
I mean, who would've thought Ian Cunningham would get poached by the Falcons after only 2 yrs with the Bears? The guy was basically a favorite to win Protector of the Year award lol but apparently not enough to keep him around Chicago... this is gonna be interesting for the Bears, hope they can recover from this blow 
what's going on in chicago?? they just lost their agm to the falcons 
and now they gotta scramble for another one 
i mean i know bear fans are used to losing players but this is like a blowout 
but chicago bears are definitely losing a lot of talent 
. The Bears gave him some great opportunities and he's been super gracious about it too 
, but now that he's going to the Falcons, I wonder how that'll affect their GM search process 
. The fact that he was a finalist for Protector of the Year award is impressive, though - someone's gotta keep those players safe on the field 
was really hoping he'd stick around after what he accomplished in 2 yrs 
hope he brings his expertise to the Falcons and makes them a contender 
? like, what did they do 2 him? did dey not vallue him? Cunningham seemed super dedicated 2 da organization & he even expressed his gratitude... 
but I guess u c da way it goes in da NFL - who got da upper hand? 
.
It's clear he's got some serious GM skills under his belt. The Falcons just gotta hope they can capitalize on the hype and turn this new gig into a winning formula 
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. Fingers crossed he brings that same magic to Atlanta! 
just got some crazy news about Ian Cunningham 
I mean who wouldn't want a genius like him on their team 
can't believe the Bears let him go 
he's one of six finalists for Protector of the Year award 
we'll see how this plays out with the Bears' roster and coaching staff 
hope they find a way to fill his shoes 
Can't wait to see how this all plays out!
. It's like, one door closes, another one opens, right? And who knows, maybe Cunningham's new gig in Atlanta will bring some amazing talent to the NFL? The world is full of possibilities! 
he's gonna crush it and make the team UNSTOPPABLE!!!!! 
they'll be kicking themselves if he takes Atlanta to the Super Bowl