Bears draft picks
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 17: General manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on November 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have been lobbying to receive compensatory draft picks for the departure of assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who is heading over to the Atlanta Falcons to become their general manager, and the NFL has made its final decision on Friday, April 3rd.
“The matter is now closed following the club’s appeal. The NFL informed the Bears today that 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.”
So, the Bears will not be receiving any compensatory picks, but it changes the way fans will look at the supposed “Rooney Rule” and how the NFL determines matters of this magnitude.
Ian Rapoport
The #Bears have been lobbying for draft pick compensation following the hire of Ian Cunningham as #Falcons GM. Today, the NFL responded stating there will be no picks coming:
“The matter is now closed following the club’s appeal. The NFL informed the Bears today they will not
NFL Makes Final Decision on Bears Receiving Compensatory Draft Picks
It feels like the Bears were robbed of their deserved draft picks.
“I kind of put that whole thing into two buckets,” general manager Ryan Poles said back in March when the Bears first heard they weren’t receiving any compensatory draft picks. “One, I’m really proud that Ian has this opportunity to be a general manager. It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time, before we were even employed by the Bears. It was our vision to climb through the ranks, to get a seat, the GM seat and then help the other one get to their position as well. So I’m really happy for him. How we do that and why we do that has nothing to do with compensation whatsoever. I want to make that very clear. There’s a set of rules that has been put in place that I think can be applied to this situation. So we have communicated through the right channels. We’ll see what happens going forward.”
The Bears later made another plea to the NFL, with owner George McCaskey believing the organization “held true to the spirit of the NFL’s diversity initiative and the letter of it in developing former executive Ian Cunningham, yet the league hasn’t awarded the team two compensatory third-round draft picks as part of the Falcons hiring Cunningham as general manager in January.”
Heck, even Cunningham himself believed the Bears should have received the picks, saying, “It was always my interpretation that if a general manager gets hired, that team would receive two third-round picks. I’m the general manager. I was hired. I would think that they would get two third-round picks.”
Bears Deserved It, Yet This Opens Up A Bigger Conversation
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, who covers the Bears, gave a detailed explanation on why this will lead to a “real conversation about the rule in the first place and how poorly this reflects back on the league.”
“The Bears were loud in the right places (public media settings with maximum visibility at the combine) regarding how they felt wronged by the NFL’s decision to not award comp picks for Ian Cunningham’s departure. It goes against the spirit of what the Rooney Rule is supposed to be about (promoting minority advancement in coaching and front office positions). The NFL was adamant in January that it wasn’t something that could be appealed but the Bears tried anyways. Can’t fault them for their attempt, but fall out from this should lead to a real conversation about the rule in the first place and how poorly this reflects back on the league.”
Here are a couple of reactions from some notable Bears personalities on X:
“Can’t blame the Bears for trying. Bad look for the NFL.” @NicholasMoreano
“The Bears should sue the league.” @GBraggsJr23
“Get rid of the incentive then if the league isn’t going to play the rules. This is ridiculous. Matt Ryan has done nothing to show he’s the primary football executive. Then again, asking the NFL to admit they made a mistake is laughable.” @BrendanSugrue
Now, the Bears will have to move on and prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft without the compensatory draft picks.