Sources: Cunningham set to become Falcons' GM

The Atlanta Falcons hired former Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as their new GM, the team announced Thursday night.

Cunningham had an in-person interview with the Falcons, including owner Arthur Blank, in Atlanta on Thursday, as did Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert.

The 40-year-old Cunningham now joins president of football Matt Ryan and coach Kevin Stefanski, both also hired this month, in Atlanta, which hasn't made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017.

"His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level," Ryan said in a news release. "Throughout Ian's career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games. We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he's learned from some of the best in the league."

Cunningham had been the Bears' assistant GM since 2022. He was instrumental in pulling off several big trades in Chicago, including sending linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens and defensive end Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 -- the first year of the Bears' rebuild.

Prior to that, the Virginia native worked with the Eagles, ascending from their director of college scouting in 2017 to their director of player personnel in 2021.

Cunningham got his first NFL personnel job with the Ravens in 2008 as a personnel assistant and was promoted in 2013 to area scout.

As a player, Cunningham was an offensive lineman at the University of Virginia and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008. He did not make the active roster.

"As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell [Georgia] when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can't wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city," Cunningham said in the release. "It's been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin. I can't wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it's time to work."

The Falcons fired former general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris earlier this month. Fontenot had not put forth a winning team in five seasons with the organization. Morris guided Atlanta to back-to-back 8-9 records in his two years.

After their departures, the Falcons worked to change the shape of their organizational structure. They hired Ryan, one of the franchise's all-time greats, as their president of football. Ryan then led the search for the Falcons' next coach, ultimately hiring ex-Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski on Jan. 17. Although Ryan led the way, Stefanski did have some input into the Cunningham hire.

The Falcons were not in any rush; they had the only GM opening in the NFL.

Cunningham also was a finalist for Atlanta's president of football role, and he and Ryan share a connection. Ryan and Bears general manager Ryan Poles played together at Boston College and remain good friends.

The Bears, meanwhile, will not receive two compensatory third-round picks for Cunningham's departure, a league source told ESPN's Courtney Cronin. The policy pertains to the head coach or the primary football executive, which in this case is Ryan.