NFL Denies Bears' Appeal for Compensatory Draft Picks

The NFL has denied the Chicago Bears' appeal for compensatory draft picks after former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was hired as general manager by the Atlanta Falcons, closing a months-long dispute over the league's diversity hiring policy.

The decision, announced Friday, means the Bears will not receive two third-round selections—one in the 2026 draft and another in 2027—as they had sought under Resolution JC2A. That 2020 policy rewards teams with such picks when a minority executive they developed is hired away as a head coach or primary football executive elsewhere. Cunningham, who is Black and spent four years with the Bears, joined the Falcons in January after serving as their assistant GM since 2022.

League officials determined that Cunningham does not qualify as the Falcons' primary football executive. Instead, that role belongs to Matt Ryan, the former Falcons quarterback hired in January as president of football. Ryan reports directly to owner Arthur Blank and oversees the front office, including leading searches that resulted in Cunningham's hire and new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Although Cunningham handles day-to-day duties like roster decisions, free...