Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is sure to be in high demand this offseason, and one NFL team is already showing interest.
The Washington Commanders have requested to interview Cunningham for their vacant GM job, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Cunningham was a top candidate during last year’s cycle, where he interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. He was a finalist for the Titans job, which went to Ran Carthon, and reportedly turned down the Cardinals job.
The #Commanders have put in a request to interview #Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, sources say. So their executive search is rolling, too.
He was a top candidate last year and should be again this year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 8, 2024
Cunningham joined the Bears in 2022, where he’s worked closely with general manager Ryan Poles. A new position — assistant GM — was created just for Cunningham, and he’s played a huge role in team moves over the past couple of years.
Before Cunningham joined Chicago, he spent four years in Philadelphia, where he served a number of roles with the Eagles. He started as director of college scouting (2017), moved up to assistant director of player personnel (2019) and finally was promoted to director of player personnel (2021).
If Cunningham joins another organization as GM, the Bears would receive compensation as part of the Rooney Rule. If a team loses a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years.
