Ryan Poles’ top assistant will need to wait another season for his own GM role while another front-office member has been promoted.
The Chicago Bears have employed one of the most prominent names seen in the annual NFL hiring cycles for the past three years, but assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was passed over again.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have announced that James Gladstone has been hired as their new General Manager.
Gladstone last served as the Los Angeles Rams’ director of scouting strategy, and while Cunningham was thought to be a strong candidate and, at times, the front-runner, Gladstone apparently made a big impression on Jags’ brass.
The thought of two third-round compensation draft picks had Cunningham been hired away was on many fans’ minds, but GM Ryan Poles keeping his assistant as the franchise heads into a critical offseason is a good silver lining.
As for Ian, if the Bears rebound from the five-win 2024 under new head coach Ben Johnson, he’ll most certainly be up for general manager openings again in 2026 because his resume is strong.
He originally arrived in Chicago in 2022, shortly after Poles was named the Bears’ general manager. He’s been a finalist for several different GM jobs prior to this year’s Jaguars opening. In January of 2023, he turned down the job with the Arizona Cardinals and was named a finalist for the Tennessee Titans GM role for both 2024 and 2025.
He boasts a robust resume as a scout from the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles while becoming one of the most respected minds in league circles when evaluating talent. His impact was felt in Chicago when working to build a young roster centered on a draft-centric approach. Overall, he’s had his hands in the full operation for the past three years, and now he’ll return to the Bears with 100% focus on the 2025 season.
Senior director of player personnel Jeff King, who is also highly thought of around league circles, was in line to be promoted had Cunningham left, so now the Bears will have both of Poles’ top lieutenants in his ear during free agency and the draft.
In more positive Bears news, the team announced that Matt Feinstein has been promoted to vice president of football administration. He previously served as the franchise’s director of football administration.
“Matt is an invaluable asset to our football operation, and his well-earned promotion benefits our entire organization,” said general manager Ryan Poles. “We look forward to Matt continuing to play an integral role in our pursuit of championship-level performance, and we are excited that Matt and his family remain members of the Chicago Bears family.”
Part of Feinstein’s responsibilities are managing the salary cap and negotiating contracts, and he was also part of the search committee that led to Ben Johnson being hired as a head coach.