The Atlanta Falcons are expected to hire former Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as their new GM, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday night.
Cunningham had an in-person interview with the Falcons on Thursday, as did Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert, another finalist.
Cunningham, 40, 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.
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. The Falcons have not made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017.
After their departures, the Falcons worked to change the shape of their organizational structure. They hired former quarterback Matt 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 Kevin 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.
Information from ESPN's Courtney Cronin was used in this report.
