Falcons request to interview Bears' Ian Cunningham for general manager

Ian Cunningham is back on the Atlanta Falcons radar for a front office opening. The Falcons have put in a request to interview the Chicago Bears assistant general manager for their general manager position, first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Cunningham previously interviewed for the Falcons president of football operations opening before the team hired Matt Ryan. The other candidate the Falcons are bringing in for an interview is Houston Texans assistant general manager James Liipfert, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Cunningham is no stranger to interviews for general manager openings. The 40-year-old has been a hot candidate for a few years now and was a finalist for multiple teams before ultimately returning to the Bears. Cunningham completed his fourth season as Bears general manager Ryan Poles' right-hand man, which happened to be their best in a long time. The Bears finished the regular season 11-6, capturing the NFC North division crown and winning a playoff game.

The Falcons general manager job is a strong one for Cunningham, who has ties with Ryan. The former Falcons quarterback has strong ties to Poles and should have excellent insight into Cunningham as a candidate. Normally, Cunningham leaving to be a team's general manager would net the Bears a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks as a minority candidate. That doesn't appear to be the case with the Falcons, however, since Cunningham would not be the primary football decision maker.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Falcons request to interview Bears' Ian Cunningham for general manager