At long last, Ian Cunningham has landed a general manager position. Cunningham, who has been the assistant general manager with the Chicago Bears for the last four seasons, is set to become the next general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. The news was first reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The #Falcons are expected to hire #Bears GM Ian Cunningham as their new GM, per The Insiders.
The top lieutenant to GM Ryan Poles, Cunningham lands in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/uWmqoWxkN7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2026
Cunningham joined Bears general manager Ryan Poles in 2022 and has been his right-hand man for the last four seasons. He played a key role in rebuilding the Bears roster, which finally got put together in 2025 with an 11-6 record and an NFC North division title. Cunningham had been in the mix for a number of general manager jobs over the last few years, including with the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, but never took or got the job.
This year, he found a new home with the Falcons, working under Matt Ryan, the president of football operations, who has a strong connection with Poles from their days as college teammates for Boston College. The Falcons hired Ryan, as well as head coach Kevin Stefanski, before settling on Cunningham as the general manager.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Falcons to hire Bears’ Ian Cunningham as general manager
