NFL Denied Bears’ Appeal For Compensatory Picks After Falcons Hired GM Ian Cunningham

The NFL has formally denied the Bears’ appeal of the league’s decision not to award compensatory draft picks for the loss of executive Ian Cunningham, per Ian Rapoport. 

The league provided Rapoport with a statement: 

“The matter is now closed following the club’s appeal. The NFL informed the Bears today they will not receive compensatory picks. The policy is designed to provide picks for the Primary Football Executive position. The League determined Mr. Cunningham did not fill that role with the Falcons as it is defined in League rules.”

Senior Bears’ brass had traveled to New York last week to make their appeal in person. The NFL awards teams that lose a minority candidate to a head coach or GM role with two third-round compensatory picks. 

The Falcons hired Cunningham as their general manager this offseason. However, because Atlanta hired team president Matt Ryan and gave him final say over the football department, the league views Ryan as the primary football executive, not Cunningham.

Chicago had appealed the decision after Ryan said in some press availabilities that Cunningham would be running free agency and the draft for the Falcons. 

The hire of Ryan was announced by the Falcons as a role that would oversee the entire football operations. Cunningham and HC Kevin Stefanski both report to him and previous messaging from Atlanta has said he will have final say on decisions. 

Atlanta had to comply with the Rooney Rule in the search to hire Ryan. 

Cunningham started his career as an executive with the Ravens as a personnel assistant from 2008-2012 before moving to an area scout for the team from 2013-2016.

He was hired by the Eagles, where he served from 2017-2021 as director of college scouting, assistant director of player personnel, and eventually director of player personnel. Chicago hired Cunningham as their assistant general manager in 2022, and he has served in that role since.

Ryan, 40, is a former first-round pick of the Falcons back in 2008 out of Boston College. He was entering the final year of his six-year, $103.75 million contract when he agreed to a new five-year, $150 million extension with the Falcons in 2018 that included $100 million guaranteed.

Ryan was due base salaries of $17.2 million and $21.7 million in the final two years of his deal when the Falcons traded him to the Colts for a third-round pick in 2022. 

The Colts also restructured his deal, but ended up releasing him after just one season. He then chose to officially retire. 

For his career, Ryan played in 234 games over 15 seasons, 14 in Atlanta and one with the Colts. He completed 65.6 percent of his 8,464 career pass attempts for 62,792 yards, 381 touchdowns, and 183 interceptions. He added 1,539 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. 

Ryan was the offensive rookie of the year in 2008 and the NFL MVP in 2016, along with offensive player of the year. He was also named first-team All-Pro in 2016 and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.