Titans hire Mike Borgonzi as GM over Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, others

The Tennessee Titans zeroed in on Mike Borgonzi as their next general manager on Friday. Borgonzi and the Titans agreed to a five-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Kansas City Chiefs assistant GM now heads to Tennessee, a team that holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft.

Borgonzi’s hiring has implications for the Chicago Bears.

Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was a finalist for the Titans' GM job. Cunningham conducted a second interview with the Titans in person Wednesday.

With the Titans expected to go with Borgonzi, that means Cunningham could be sticking around in Chicago in 2025.

The only other NFL teams searching for a new general manager are the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders. Cunningham has not been linked to either of those jobs during this cycle.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles likely will have his right-hand man by his side at a pivotal time during the team’s coaching search.

At his end-of-season news conference this month, Poles noted that he was giving Cunningham space to focus on his job interviews. Cunningham was not expected to be involved in every Bears head coach interview if he had his own interviews to prep for.

“It’s really important to allow Ian to go through his own interview process if that pops up,” Poles said Jan. 7. “If it doesn’t, he will be in that [interview panel] as well, as we move forward.”

It’s really important to allow Ian to go through his own interview process if that pops up. If it doesn’t, he will be in that [interview panel] as well, as we move forward.”

—  Ryan Poles, Bears general manager

It’s possible the Jets or Raiders could request an interview with Cunningham, but it doesn’t appear that they have done so up to this point. As the Bears look toward beginning second interviews next week, Cunningham seems likely to be more involved in the process.

The Bears have interviewed more than a dozen head coach candidates over the previous two weeks. Most of those interviews have been virtual, although the team has met with Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy for in-person interviews at Halas Hall.

For coaches who still are employed by other NFL teams, in-person interviews cannot begin until next week. The next two weeks will be pivotal for the Bears' search. Coaches whose teams lose in the divisional round of the playoffs this weekend will be allowed to interview in person next week. Coaches who win this weekend can interview in person the following week (during the bye week before Super Bowl week).

The Bears have a panel of people within the organization who will be involved in the interview process. That panel includes Poles, as well as chairman George McCaskey, president Kevin Warren, director of football administration Matt Feinstein, senior director of player personnel Jeff King and chief HR officer Liz Geist.

If Cunningham is available, he will join that group, too.

Poles has leaned on Cunningham a lot over his three years as the GM. Cunningham was the first person Poles hired to join his front office. The two became close when they were coming up as scouts in the industry, often running across each other at games and prospect showcases.

Prior to joining the Bears, Cunningham worked in the front offices for the Philadelphia Eagles (2017-21) and the Baltimore Ravens (2008-16) in various roles.

Speaking about Cunningham just before the draft in April, Poles said: “I am blessed out of my socks to have him by my side through this process. Just, especially when you reflect back to the first two years getting this thing off the ground, to have a guy like him. [He’s] not a yes man. [He] keeps me in line when I start getting off track, to keep our staff together when I get pulled in different directions.”