The Chicago Bears have a lot of reasons for optimism in 2024.
After a four-win improvement from 2022 to last season and landing rookie star quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick in the draft, there have been lots of exciting additions to a Bears team poised for a bright future.
However, the National Football League is also a high-turnover business. If you're losing, people are losing their jobs. But if you're winning, you're usually getting poached by rival teams.
That means, logically, that if the Bears have the season they're hoping for, they're going to lose some talented people heading into 2025. And according to an insider, one of the Bears' top executives could be one of the first to go.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic predicted on Thursday that Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who interviewed for several general manager openings this spring, will land a GM job elsewhere in 2025.
"If the Bears’ season plays out the way many expect — an offseason acquisition spree has generated as much hype as ever in Chicago — Cunningham will again be on the shortlist for teams with GM openings in January," Howe said.
Cunningham, a former college guard who signed a brief free-agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, has been an executive for 16 years, including the past two with the Bears. He signed a contract extension with the Bears in April, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
After interviewing with the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans for their previous GM openings, it may be just a matter of time before Cunningham lands a head job of his own.
“It feels great in the sense of this is what I’ve worked for my entire life and career,” Cunningham said, per Howe. "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.”
For now, Cunningham will focus on assisting current Bears GM Ryan Poles to navigate this season. And though losing their talented exec would be an unfortunate side effect if the Bears have a big year, it's doubtful many Chicago fans would be complaining.
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