The Chicago Bears had a busy first day of the NFL’s free agency negotiation period, where they added some notable contributors on defense (safety Coby Bryant, linebacker Devin Bush) while re-signing some key in-house free agents (linebacker D’Marco Jackson, quarterback Case Keenum, left tackle Braxton Jones).
But it wasn’t all good news for the Bears, who officially didn’t receive their two third-round compensatory picks from the NFL following Ian Cunningham’s departure to the Atlanta Falcons as their new general manager. While Matt Ryan is the president of football operations, he’s said repeatedly that Cunningham is in charge of the roster, and it counts as part of a promotion, per the Rooney Rule.
The NFL didn’t seem to agree as they opted against awarding Chicago the picks despite an appeal from general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears last month. As you can imagine, the NFL’s decision didn’t go over well with fans, and even quarterback Caleb Williams is chiming in on the issue.
Williams shared a clip of Ryan discussing Cunningham’s role with the Falcons, which includes doing the scouting and running the meetings. And yet, the NFL isn’t giving the Bears the comp picks. Williams’ message was clear: Chicago was robbed.
The Bears did everything they could to make their case for the compensatory picks in a unique situation that will surely have an impact moving forward, especially with how teams structure their front offices. In the end, the NFL didn’t think Chicago deserved the picks.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Caleb Williams reacts to the Bears not receiving compensatory picks
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
