Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham has been a hot name on the general manager free agent market over the past two offseasons.
Cunningham has interviewed for general manager positions with the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers in the past two years. He failed to lock down one of those GM positions. But he's due for the keys to his own team soon.
“It feels great in the sense of this is what I’ve worked for my entire life and career,” Cunningham told The Athletic. “Knowing what I’ve wanted to do since I was in middle school, high school and setting that goal for myself. … Realizing I’m on the cusp of that, I’m extremely fortunate to have the interviews in which I’ve had and the opportunities in which I’ve had. I just view it as just keep chopping, and it’ll happen in the right time.”
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Like his partner Ryan Poles, Cunningham was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chiefs coming out of college. But he soon realized his professional football career likely wouldn't take him far, unless he was in the front office.
According to The Athletic, Cunningham's college coach, Al Groh, went to work on his behalf trying to get him a front-office position somewhere. Within 24 hours, Groh helped Cunningham snag a personnel internship with the Ravens under legendary GM Ozzie Newsome.
In 2013, Cunningham was elevated to personnel scout. He spent nine years in the Ravens organization, and the team made the playoffs in six of those years. In 2017, the Eagles hired Cunningham as their director of college scouting. They soon won the Super Bowl that season, as Cunningham then won the second of his career.
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Cunningham became the Eagles' director of player personnel in 2021. In 2022, followed Poles to the Bears to become his assistant general manager. But Cunningham couldn't be more grateful for having the opportunity to work with two powerhouse franchises with legendary GMs.
“I had the foundation of evaluation (with the Ravens), and (with the Eagles) I got to mix in the data and analytics to see how that meshes and what I can make in that pot of creativity, so I’m blessed in that sense,” Cunningham said. “I get to go to Baltimore and learn from who I believe is the best GM in the history of the NFL in Ozzie, and learn from Eric DeCosta, who in my mind is a top-five GM, and then get to learn from Howie Roseman who is another top-five GM.
"I’ve got to pinch myself at times because of how fortunate I’ve been.”
Six playoff berths and a Super Bowl with the Ravens; one Super Bowl with the Eagles; and hopefully, something special with the Bears.
Behind the leadership of Poles and Cunningham, the Bears' front office has crafted one of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent memory. They flipped the roster with rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, key veterans DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett, D'Andre Swift, Montez Sweat, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Kevin Byard.
They also continued a few of the relationships they inhaled from the previous regime, extending both Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson to four-year contracts over the past two offseasons.
Now, the Bears are finally on an upward trajectory they haven't seen since 2018.
“I feel like we’re on the right track to building a championship culture here,” Cunningham said.