Bears won’t get extra draft picks for losing assistant GM to Falcons

The Chicago Bears are losing assistant GM Ian Cunningham to the Atlanta Falcons, but even though he’s getting promoted, his old team won’t be compensated.

NFL rules stipulate that when a minority assistant leaves for a head coach or general manager position elsewhere, their former team is awarded compensatory draft picks.

But that won’t be happening for the Bears this time.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports explains why:

“The general manager role in Atlanta is like most other GM gigs across the league with one exception: this job is not what the league office considers the “primary football executive” position,” Jones writes. “Cunningham is considered a secondary football executive who reports to (former Falcons quarterback Matt) Ryan, the PFE as designated by the team and league office.”

“It is due to this structure that the Bears will not receive compensatory picks for losing Cunningham, a Black man,” Jones continues. “Beginning in 2021, the league began awarding two third-round picks to teams who developed minority talent that ultimately took head coach or GM roles. But multiple sources have confirmed to CBS Sports that the Bears will not get those picks, and the team has known that for some amount of time.”

“In truth, the Bears could have blocked Cunningham from ever interviewing for the job as it would be, under league rules, a lateral position,” Jones writes. “But in reality it is a promotion for Cunningham, and the Bears allowing him to seek out the position speaks to his standing within the Chicago organization.”

This is a massive bummer for the Bears, who miss out on valuable draft picks because of a technicality that has nothing to do with them. Cunningham still gets his well-deserved GM title, but because of the way the Falcons have structured their new front office, Chicago is left empty-handed.

Thanks for nothing, Atlanta.