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Bears lose assistant GM Ian Cunningham to Falcons

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

After interviewing him for the third time this month on Thursday, the Falcons agreed to hire Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham as their GM.

Earlier this month, he interviewed for a different Falcons position — president of football, which went to former quarterback Matt Ryan. Cunningham had his first GM interview with the Falcons on Friday and met with them in person Thursday.

The NFL program that awards teams two compensatory third-round picks when minority candidates leave for GM jobs elsewhere does not apply to the Bears, as Ryan is considered the team’s primary football decision-maker by the league.