After a weeks-long search, the Atlanta Falcons finally found their new general manager in Bears' assistant GM Ian Cunningham. He was the frontrunner from the get go for his connection to Matt Ryan, but was able to fend off a late push from Texans assistant GM James Liipfert to get his chance to call the shots in Atlanta.
Now that Cunningham has been hired, the Falcons finally have all the pieces in place to help take this roster to the next level. They already have plenty of talent on board already, but one of their biggest needs is at receiver, and his Chicago connections could help the Dirty Birds swing a huge WR trade.
The Falcons desperately need a running mate for Drake London, and Chicago' D.J. Moore could be exactly that. The veteran wideout is fresh off of a down season in 2025, which could open the door for the rising executive to make a big statement by trading for Moore with his first move as a GM.
Ian Cunningham needs to call up his old boss and help the Falcons trade for D.J. Moore
Moore had a brutal blunder on that game-sealing interception in the loss to the Rams, but was red hot down the stretch for Ben Johnson's offense. The 28-year-old has recorded four 1,000-yard seasons in his career and has been one of the NFL's most underrated receivers across the last few seasons.
He has no Pro Bowls or All-Pros to his name, but has been one of the most consistent players in football despite never truly reaching that elite tier of pass-catchers. But given the instability this Atlanta offense dealt with at WR this season, some consistency from a guy like Moore would be nice.
The Bears already have the future of their receiver room in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, so the Maryland product is clearly on the chopping block. They're expected to field offers on him this offseason, and the impact of having two executives with ties to Ryan Poles is a massive positive.
Financially, the fit would be wonky since the 2018 first-round pick comes with a $28.5 million cap hit in each of the next three seasons because of a recent extension, but they can work with that. If they add void years to his deal, the Falcons could open up almost $19 million in cap space after a trade.
Moore was also great down the stretch, so it's no guarantee that the Bears would even trade him, but their logjam at WR is only getting worse. So if they decide to make him available, the addition of Cunningham to the front office makes bringing Moore back to the NFC South an idea definitely worth exploring in Atlanta.