NBC Sports' Mike Florio certainly didn't back down on his words when discussing the Chicago Bears' compensatory pick snub involving Ian Cunningham's recent hiring as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. Florio called it "one of the most ridiculous unforced errors" that the league has made.
Florio recently joined Chicago's Mulley & Haugh radio show, where they discussed the Bears and the NFL's decision not to award them compensatory picks. The Rooney Rule is clear. If an NFL team develops a minority talent who goes on to become a general manager or head coach, the team gets a 3rd round pick. There's no asterisk indicating that that person needs to be the "primary executive".
.@ProFootballTalk on the NFL not awarding the Bears compensatory picks: "This is one of the most ridiculous unforced errors I've ever seen the NFL commit.
"If they had just given the Bears the compensatory picks, who would've complained about it? Would anyone have been upset?" pic.twitter.com/DrWHp4aMM5
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) March 10, 2026
“This is one of the most ridiculous unforced errors I've ever seen the NFL commit. Why would you not just give the Bears the compensatory picks? If they had, who would have complained about it?”
Mike Florio believes the league is splitting hairs
Compensatory picks are awarded to teams for a variety of reasons. They've been in the league since 1994, as part of the NFL's efforts to maintain diversity. The picks are awarded to teams using a formula that attempts to measure talent lost in any given season. Back in 2020, the rule was expanded to include cases where a franchise develops a minority executive who goes on the become a GM or head coach elsewhere.
The Bears developed Ian Cunningham, who was hired as the Falcons' general manager. Picks should have been awarded.
The NFL cites former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan being the "primary football executive" also hired in this cycle as the reason not to award the Bears their rightful picks. Despite this, Ryan has already confirmed that Cunningham is in charge of free agency and the draft, and that he's serving in the executive role expected of the general manager. Cunningham even publicly said the Bears should have gotten their picks!
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The compensatory selections for the upcoming draft have already been finalized, meaning the Bears will not receive the additional picks tied to Cunningham’s hiring. Still, as Florio pointed out, the controversy leaves an uncomfortable question for the league. If the rule exists to reward development, why enforce it so narrowly here?