Bears retain top front office executive, miss out on potential draft picks

The 2024 hiring cycle in the NFL is nearly complete with only a few vacancies left to be finalized. In total four new general managers and six head coaches have been hired during this cycle with two more head coach hirings left to be made in the coming days.

The Chicago Bears even got in on the hiring frenzy after adding two new coordinators to Matt Eberflus' coaching staff in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and defensive coordinator Eric Washington. However, the Bears most important addition in this year's cycle was the hire that wasn’t made.

Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham will remain in Chicago after interviewing for the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers' vacant general manager positions.

The Commanders instead hired San Francisco 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters as their next general manager and the Chargers are finalizing the terms to name Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz as their next general manager.

Cunningham will once again return to his role in the Bears front office alongside general manager Ryan Poles as the two prepare for the start of free agency and the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The two were already getting the scouting started after both executives were recently reported in attendance for Day 2 of the East-West Shrine Bowl practices earlier this week in Dallas, Texas.

Having Cunningham back in the front office will be a major boost for Poles and the rest of the Bears' staff heading into what will be a franchise altering offseason. Along with free agency and the draft, the Bears front office will also be forced to make critical decisions regarding the future quarterback Justin Fields, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and other top players on the roster.

Poles is undoubtedly ecstatic to have his right hand man back in the front office next him to help make these critical decisions after not landing a general manager role of his own during the hiring cycle.

"Trying to steal my guy," Poles said during the end of the year press conference. "I'm extremely proud because I want to produce as many [general managers] in this league as possible. It's a it's a big thing."

"I'm proud of him, but at the same time, those are big shoes to fill in terms of helping run the front office and getting things done in terms of evaluating players. That's why development is so important to me, in terms of our scouting assistants up to our area scouts, making sure they're developed so everyone can just keep taking that step."

Cunningham also missed out on landing a general manager position during the 2023 hiring cycle after interviewing for the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans' vacant general manager positions.

There is one small downside for the Bears after Cunningham missed out on another top executive opportunity during the 2024 hiring cycle. According to NBC Sports Chicago, "due to a league resolution passed in 2020 to promote the development of minority coaches and executives, the Bears [could have been] awarded two compensatory third-round draft picks if Cunningham landed a GM job elsewhere." 

Those potential compensatory selections would have been during the 2024 draft and the 2025 draft. The Bears ultimately get one major win by having Cunningham return to the front office but miss out on some major capital over the next two drafts.

The Bears could still get future compensatory draft picks in the future if Cunningham gets hired in next year's cycle. His scouting and analytical background makes him an top candidate every year for any team's front office looking to add a modern mind to their football operations. Until then, he will continue to stay and work in Chicago.