Cunningham has been viewed as one of the league’s rising front-office talents. After nine years with the Baltimore Ravens and four with the Philadelphia Eagles, he joined the Bears as assistant general manager in 2022 and has been central to Chicago’s talent strategy and organizational development.
Earlier this offseason, Cunningham was widely regarded as a top candidate for multiple general manager openings. He ultimately moved to Atlanta after Terry Fontenot’s departure, a move clouded by the Falcons’ decision to elevate former quarterback Matt Ryan to a high-ranking front-office role.
Under the Rooney Rule, teams can receive two third-round picks for promoting minority employees who become primary football executives. The compensation only applies if the departing employee is the Falcons’ primary football executive, a designation the NFL did not assign to Cunningham in Atlanta.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained that the league’s ruling hinges on the “primary football executive” designation, which allegedly shields Chicago from the compensation despite Cunningham’s expected influence over the Falcons’ roster decisions. The Bears, meanwhile, are left to absorb the decision and await how Cunningham’s successor will shape Atlanta’s approach.
Chicago publicly remains unsettled by the ruling, given Ryan’s stated role in running the Falcons’ front office and Cunningham’s anticipated influence on free agency and draft decisions. The situation underscores the ambiguity surrounding leadership titles in complex NFL front offices and why Chicago feels hard done by, even as the NFL’s decision stands. This summary is based on reporting from Heavy Sports.
