The Chicago Bears had an intriguing offseason, but lost a significant part of the front office. The Atlanta Falcons hired assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and promoted him to their general manager position. However, things are not going as expected for the Bears as they were expecting to be awarded by the NFL a compensatory pick. The NFL responded to the team on Friday, so let’s take a closer look at what they decided and what it means.
The Chicago Bears are denied any compensatory picks due to Ian Cunningham’s hire by Atlanta
Chicago will not be receiving any compensatory picks after their appeal. On Friday, the league officially rejected the appeal, meaning the third-round compensatory pick will not be given to the Bears.
“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 desinged 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.”
While this is the NFL’s stance, their operations seem to have it worded a bit differently. Below is from the NFL Operations regarding the Rooney Rule:
“In November 2020, team owners approved a proposal rewarding teams who developed minority talent that went on to become GMs or head coaches across the league. If a team lost a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years.”
The Bears argued that Cunningham’s hire by the Falcons would fit this criteria, but it appears not. As a result, Cunningham is going to a new organization as the team’s general manager. Cunningham handled the duties of a general manager during the spring meeting, including being in the annual GM photo. However, the league determined this was not enough.
Chicago will now have their allotted picks known and zero compensatory selections as a result.
Ben Johnson makes his opinion of Chicago Bears’ decision very clear
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