Bear Digest

Bears GM Assistant Ian Cunningham Named 'Future GM to Watch'

A group of agents anonymously named Ryan Poles' assistant as the future GM to watch in poll conducted by The Athletic.

Gene Chamberlain

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham (left) and GM Ryan Poles address the media at draft time.
Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham (left) and GM Ryan Poles address the media at draft time. / Photo: Chicago Bears video
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He's been prominent throughout Hard Knocks' first four episodes in the meeting rooms of Halas Hall.

Now Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is getting some official recognition—not that he needed it.

A poll of 31 NFL agents anonymously told the Athletic in a sixth annual NFL agents survey that Cunningham deserved the title of future general manager to watch. Cunningham already has been highly sought in interview processes after the last two seasons without getting hired. The Chargers, Titans and Cardinals interviwed Cunningham in the last two offseasons for GM.

“I just view it as just keep chopping, and it’ll happen in the right time,” Cunningham told The Athletic.

The son of a former basketball agent, Cunningham credits being around Ryan Poles and, in the past, Eagles GM Howie Roseman (2017-21) and Baltimore's Eric DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome (2008-16) with helping him gain the needed experience to be a strong GM candidate.

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He had roles in the Bears trading back in 2023 and still drafting Darnell Wright and in talking Poles out of trading up and giving away draft compensation to try and select Rome Odunze this year, when Odunze fell to them.

Cunningham signed a contract extension this past spring and told The Athletic he's looking ahead right now to winning in Chicago.

“I feel like we’re on the right track to building a championship culture here,” Cunningham said.

If Cunningham does leave for a GM job after this season, the Bears would receive third-round compensatory draft picks in 2025 and 2026.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.