The Atlanta Falcons added to their revamped front office Thursday, hiring Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as their new GM. The team officially announced Cunningham’s addition Thursday evening.
Cunningham, 40, previously interviewed for the Falcons’ president of football position, then interviewed twice for the GM opening after Matt Ryan was hired. Given his experience in college scouting and player personnel, his responsibilities alongside Ryan and new head coach Kevin Stefanski seem apparent.
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Ryan will reportedly have authority over decisions in Atlanta’s front office, which means the Bears will not receive two compensatory third-round draft picks for losing Cunningham. That was a condition of the “Rooney Rule,” intended to encourage promoting minority candidates.
However, the NFL considers Ryan the primary football executive with the Falcons, according to reports. Thus, Cunningham is essentially making a lateral move, even if he has the general manager title. (Because of that, the Bears could have blocked Cunningham from going to the Falcons, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.)
Cunningham’s background in player personnel likely gave him the edge over Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert, with whom the Falcons also conducted a second interview.
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For the past three years, Cunningham has been the Bears’ assistant GM under Ryan Poles. His NFL front-office career began in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens, where he worked as a personnel assistant before advancing to area scout during his eight years.
Cunningham moved to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, spending two years as director of college scouting before becoming assistant director of player personnel. Cunningham was eventually promoted to director of player personnel, a role he held for a year before leaving for Chicago.
Prior to his front-office work, Cunningham spent one season with the Kansas City Chiefs as a practice squad player. An offensive lineman, he played college football at Virginia, making 31 career starts for the Cavaliers.
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Over the past two years, Cunningham interviewed for GM openings with the Washington Commanders and Jacksonville Jaguars. He now replaces Terry Fontenot, who was fired along with head coach Raheem Morris after Atlanta’s Week 18 regular-season finale.
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