The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly hiring Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as their next general manager.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news.
Cunningham, who was an offensive lineman at Virginia, went undrafted in 2008 and quickly pivoted to a career behind the scenes. After working for the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears hired him as their assistant GM in 2022 to work under Ryan Poles.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank decided to clean house after the team missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season. Atlanta has gone the same length of time without posting a winning record.
Head coach Raheem Morris was shown the door after two years on the job, and general manager Terry Fontenot got the axe as well.
Blank filled the coaching vacancy by hiring former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. A two-time Coach of the Year, Stefanski went 45-56 in six years with Cleveland.
Beyond the lack of progress toward turning Atlanta into a playoff contender, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posited that the Falcons’ quarterback situation was a “fairly big” factor in Morris’ and Fontenot’s dismissal.
“The Falcons essentially got two big quarterback swings in [Michael] Penix and [Kirk] Cousins, and neither netted much progress,” Fowler wrote. “Penix getting hurt — staying true to his collegiate calling card as injury prone — dinged Fontenot’s draft profile a bit.
“Morris’ offense for Penix, run by Zac Robinson, wasn’t a fit in the eyes of multiple scouts and coaches who felt he needed more of a vertical attack to utilize his arm strength.”
Cousins could be on the way out, and he’s clearly not the long-term solution under center if he remains under contract for 2026. Figuring out whether to stick with Penix, who’s recovering from an ACL reconstruction, will be a much bigger question for the new general manager.
The southpaw has thrown for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 59.6 percent completion rate in 14 starts. He hasn’t gone above and beyond on the field, and one rival executive wondered how he’ll look after the knee injury.
“He lumbers already, and he’s going to have to be a pocket passer and he’s got the slowest delivery I’ve seen,” the exec told The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
If Cunningham is prepared to cut bait on Penix, the draft won’t be a great place to find a replacement. Fontenot traded away Atlanta’s first-round pick as part of the deal to move up and get defensive end James Pearce Jr.
Pearce wound up getting 10.5 sacks as a rookie, but the trade was another example of how Fontenot badly managed the Falcons’ assets.
In addition, Fontenot left behind a fairly sizable payroll, at least within the context of how little Atlanta has achieved. The team is projected to have a little more than $28.6 million in cap space, which isn’t enough to make all of the additions that are required to spark a quick turnaround.
The New England Patriots’ 14-3 finish was powered partially by the $192.9 million in guaranteed money it committed to players last offseason. Head coach Mike Vrabel had a ton of cash to tailor the roster more to his preferences.
That’s simply not possible this spring in Atlanta.
Bijan Robinson is an elite running back and led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,298). Wide receiver Drake London would’ve cracked 1,000 yards for the second straight year if he hadn’t missed five games. Pearce and fellow 2025 first-rounder Jalon Walker could be a formidable duo off the edge for a long time to come.
The Falcons have some young building blocks who can shape the future, but there’s no shortage of problems for their new GM to solve in the coming months.
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