A rising executive's promotion pursuit triggers a draft-pick dispute, forcing the Bears to weigh compensation against blocking his move.
The Chicago Bears are at a fork in the road when it comes to Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham.
Cunningham has been with Chicago since 2022, but has been receiving interest from the Atlanta Falcons. He joined the franchise with current GM Ryan Poles, who has led the Bears' resurgence.
Poles made some massive additions last offseason, bringing in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, as well as signing free agent center Drew Dalman. Dalman and Thuney to the Pro Bowl in their first seasons with the Bears.
The Falcons first interviewed him for the position of President of Football. However, that job was given to former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Cunningham is now being interviewed for Atlanta's General Manager opening.
Typically, teams are awarded draft-pick compensation under the NFL's Rooney Rule if Cunningham were to leave for the job. The Bears would get two third-round compensatory picks if Cunningham is hired elsewhere.
There is a loophole that may keep the Bears from getting those draft picks, however.
Moving from Assistant GM to GM sounds like a promotion, but it may not be the case with the Falcons, because Ryan has all the decision-making power. Therefore, the Bears could potentially not receive compensation for it.
There is a way out of this for Chicago if it can't get draft compensation. The Bears can still block Cunningham from interviewing.
Assistant GMs aren't the only ones getting interest from the Bears for other jobs; assistant coaches are, too.
Defensive backs coach Al Harris has interviewed with the Green Bay Packers for their defensive coordinator job. The Packers lost former DC Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins, who have named him their next head coach.
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy is returning to the Kansas City Chiefs to be their next offensive coordinator. Bieniemy was in the same role with the Chiefs from 2018-2022.
Lastly, current Bears OC Declan Doyle has received an interview request from the Philadelphia Eagles, who fired their previous OC, Kevin Patullo, after one season with the organization.
It seems everyone wants to take from the Bears to fill job openings. It's no wonder that's the case, with how well the team did in just one year under head coach Ben Johnson.
We'll have to wait and see if the Bears even let Cunningham interview for the job, given the Falcons' situation with Ryan.