Bears' Ian Cunningham Voted by NFL Agents as 'Future GM to Watch'

The Chicago Bears may have a future general manager in their front office.

According to a recent poll of 31 NFL agents by The Athletic , the Bears' assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was the leading vote-getter as a "Future GM to watch." It's the publication's sixth annual NFL agents survey.

It doesn't come as a surprise that Cunningham's name is at the top of the list, as he's been heavily pursued by other teams the past two years. The Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals have interviewed him.

One agent anonymously told The Athletic:

"Ian Cunningham is a great talent evaluator. He's fair with agents, not rigid. He comes off like he's one of us, not some snob. Has an excellent demeanor for the top job."

Related: Bears GM Ryan Poles discusses roster cuts, what a successful 2024 looks like

Cunningham's father was a former basketball agent, so the tools of the trade may have trickled down to him.

The assistant general manager has helped the Bears land players like Darnell Wright and Rome Odunze. He talked Poles into trading back in the 2023 NFL Draft to get Wright and talked him out of trading up to draft Odunze, who they ended up drafting anyways.

He's previously worked with Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.

This past spring, Cunningham signed an extension to stay with Chicago at a time the team appears to be on the rise with a loaded roster.

However, if the right opportunity comes calling for Cunningham after the 2024 season and he leaves, the Bears will receive third-round compensatory draft picks in 2025 and 2026.