Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham could be contender for Colts GM

Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham has been a top GM candidate over the past two offseasons, and it's long been acknowledged that Chicago will lose him at some point (even after signing him to an extension last offseason). And it sounds like that might happen this year.

NFL insider Albert Breer recently mentioned that there are "at least murmurs" of front office shuffling potential taking place with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, including general manager Chris Ballard. Then, during an appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" on Tuesday, Breer name-dropped Cunningham as a potential replacement for Ballard, should Indianapolis decide to move on from him.

“Do they look at it and say, ‘okay Shane Steichen, you can bring in your own guy,’ do you bring in somebody maybe like Ian Cunningham from Chicago, who you were with in Philadelphia and we build it around the two of you,” Breer said. “I think there are a lot of those sorts of discussions happening right now.”

Cunningham, who has been with the Bears since 2022, has interviewed for vacant GM jobs in the last two offseasons, where he was most recently passed over for the Washington Commanders Head of Football Ops job, which went to Adam Peters, in 2024. He was a finalist for the Tennessee Titans job, which went to Ran Carthon, and reportedly turned down the Arizona Cardinals job back in 2023.

But Cunningham would make sense for the Colts given his history with Steichen, who he worked with during his time with the Eagles in 2021.

If Cunningham departed for a GM job, the Bears would get two third-round picks over the next two NFL drafts. But they would also be losing an important part of their front office and Poles' right-hand man, who has been a calming presence for Chicago's GM.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham could be contender for Colts GM