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The NFL ruled that the Bears won't receive draft pick compensation after losing Ian Cunningham to the Falcons
The Chicago Bears enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025, but that success has hurt them early on this offseason. Teams have lined up to steal coaches and executives from the Bears in the wake of their successful season, forcing the team to find proper replacements for all the folks who have decided to join new teams.
In the front office, easily the most important departure saw assistant general manager Ian Cunningham bolt for the Atlanta Falcons, where he will be their new general manager. With Cunningham gone, the Bears had a big role in their front office that needed to be filled, and it appears as if they have found a new right-hand man for general manager Ryan Poles.
Bears Promote Jeff King to Assistant General Manager
Over the past few years, Cunningham’s work with the Bears resulted in him turning into one of the top general manager candidates across the league. After receiving consideration for several openings in recent offseasons, Cunningham finally landed a well-earned promotion with the Falcons, who have completely overhauled their front office over the past few weeks.
Cunningham’s departure is a big loss for Chicago, but the good news is that they have several other rising executives working for them. One of those guys is former NFL tight end Jeff King, who has transitioned into an executive role after spending seven seasons in the league as a player with the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.
King has worked in the Bears’ front office for over a decade, initially starting out as a scouting intern back in 2015. Over time, King has worked his way up the ranks, as he had spent the past two seasons working as Chicago’s senior director of player personnel. Now, King will fill Cunningham’s open position, as he will be the team’s new assistant general manager.
“The Bears are promoting Jeff King to be their new assistant GM, filling the spot vacated by now-Falcons GM Ian Cunningham,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “The former NFL TE, King started as an intern in Chicago’s personnel department. Now, a key lieutenant for Ryan Poles.”
Bears Have Big Offseason of Work Ahead of Them
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Filling out key roles in the front office is obviously very important for Chicago, especially with free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft looming. King has quite a bit of familiarity with the Bears franchise, and he has proven throughout the years that he can handle more work when it gets added to his plate. As a result, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see that he has been tabbed as Cunningham’s replacement.
With the front office largely filled in now, Chicago can begin working on developing its offseason plan. Despite all their success last year, the Bears have some serious areas of need that will have to be addressed over the next few months. Losing Cunningham obviously isn’t ideal, but with a trusted figure in King replacing him, the hope is that the front office will continue operating as it has been for the past couple of seasons.