The Chicago Bears want their draft picks for Ian Cunningham

Summary

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: "The Chicago Bears Want Their Draft Picks for Ian Cunningham"

Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abaticola
Date: April 2, 2026
Podcast Network: 312 Sports

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Overview

This episode dives deep into two headline issues for the Chicago Bears: their ongoing stadium saga and the contentious debate over compensatory draft picks related to Ian Cunningham’s departure for the Atlanta Falcons. Bernstein and Abaticola bring their trademark blend of incisive analysis and humor, questioning official messaging from ownership, poking holes in league logic, and wandering into wider NFL stories. Along the way, expect sharp wit, inside jokes, and the unfiltered frustration (and skepticism) of lifelong Bears fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears Stadium Drama: Ownership Messaging & Money (00:22–12:11)

The Latest on the Stadium Decision

• George McCaskey’s recent comments play on the team’s uncertainty between Arlington Heights and Hammond as potential stadium sites, echoing a history of stadium indecision in Chicago.
• Dan Bernstein observation: Moving stadiums is an inevitable adjustment for fans, but ultimately, “I don’t think in the end it's going to matter to people” (02:00).
• Both hosts poke fun at the McCaskey narrative that Bears were “forced” to buy Arlington, lampooning the idea with skits:
  • “When we bought our house, we just knocked and said, ‘Hey, you're gonna sell your house now’” (03:30, Matt).
  • “You don't have to buy everything that's for sale. You'd never get out of the store” (03:51, Guest).

Financing the New Stadium: $2 Billion “Risk”

• On whether a $2B stadium project will hit the football budget, McCaskey claims, “It’ll have no impact whatsoever. This is a significant risk for the family on... the business side” (05:30, McCaskey via audio).
• Bernstein and Abaticola relentlessly mock the notion this is a “real” risk for the McCaskeys:
  • “We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.” (06:03/07:41, McCaskey audio, repeated for comedic effect).
  • “Oh, no. How will the McCaskeys ever sleep... that this investment... could be empty?” (07:16, Guest).
• They joke about the plausibility of the Bears finding lenders, with asides about black-market loan sharks and even a “KitKat heist.” (08:50–09:16)

Indiana’s Offer & Political Leverage

• Indiana’s stadium offer is lampooned as massive and reckless:
  • “What about schools for your kids? Nope. Roads. Nope. Give it to the football team. Okay, enjoy.” (11:33, Guest)
• Dan calls out the posturing: “You don’t have to wait until the process is complete. You could take the Hammond deal right now.” (10:37, Guest)

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2. Compensatory Picks Saga: Ian Cunningham & NFL League Office (12:09–18:04)

The Bears Fight for Picks

• The Bears' front office is actively lobbying the NFL for compensatory picks after Ian Cunningham is hired by Atlanta—as stipulated by Rooney Rule-based incentives.
• Matt: “They’ve gone to New York…petitioning the league office for these picks.” (12:28)

Atlanta’s Mixed Messaging & League Politics

• Matt details how the Falcons hired Jeff Scott as AGM under Ian Cunningham, who now clearly “runs all of football operations,” defying NFL claims Cunningham isn’t the GM.
  • Matt Ryan’s quote: “In every facet of the word, Ian's a general manager in this league.” (14:11, recounted around 13:44)
• Dan suggests the NFL may be dragging its feet due to political blowback over the Rooney Rule in Florida, not wanting “the smoke” or to attract hot-button political criticism:
  • “The league has painted itself into a corner now because of your guy down in Florida who’s going hard against the Rooney rule…” (15:23, Guest)

Universal Confusion

• The hosts, like most football media, can't see a logical reason for denying the picks, especially since the Falcons “aren’t losing picks; they come from the league” (17:29–17:34).

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3. Rapid-Fire NFL Topics

Kirk Cousins to the Raiders (18:36–23:44)

• Kirk Cousins, after bouncing from the Falcons, signs to be a veteran “bridge quarterback” for the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • “Kirk Cousins has found a new home and a chance to play the bridge quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.” (19:01, Matt)
  • Breakdown of contract: $20M guaranteed, mostly paid by Atlanta; the Raiders “only” cough up $1.3M.
• Both hosts confuse over labeling Cousins a “bridge QB” if Raiders plan to start rookie Fernando Mendoza immediately.
• Matt: “If you draft him, that's starter. He's day one, that's your guy.” (22:45)

Falcons and Uniforms: Who Cares?

• Short tangent on the Falcons’ new “very basic” uniforms—and the hosts admit they don’t care at all about Atlanta as a franchise.
  • “In all of professional sports, there may not be a team whose uniforms I care about less than the Atlanta Falcons.” (20:34, Guest)

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4. Mock Drafts & Packers Front Office (23:53–27:05)

• Nick Shook’s NFL mock draft excites Matt, suggesting the Bears might luck into OT Kadyn Proctor at #25, though both doubt he’ll be available.
• Green Bay president Ed Policy’s defense of coach LaFleur leads to banter about the “teacher gene” and push-back about alleged locker room support:
  • Policy: “Matt is a teacher...I've been very impressed with him, in particular at the quarterback position...they support him openly and they support him behind closed doors.” (25:34)
• Matt jokes: “Is Matt in that room behind those closed doors where they're supporting him? And are they the same players that support him openly?” (27:33)

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5. NFL Coaches Photo: The Kyle Brandt Review (29:20–36:44)

• Both hosts rave about NFL personality Kyle Brandt’s hilarious video breakdown of the annual NFL head coaches’ group photo.
• Favorite parts include:
  • Brandt’s roast of John Harbaugh’s “black loafers with white ankle socks.” (30:16, Matt)
  • Exposing Nick Sirianni’s unexpected “meatball” build.
  • Vrabel’s “frame mogging” and assertive body language; Andy Reid’s case for a perpetual “legacy seat.”
  • Side talk about Andy Reid’s infamous COVID mask hiding a cheeseburger, and the possibility of an animated flip-book showing him aging through media guides.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• George McCaskey (via audio):
  • “We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.” (06:03, 07:41, 09:40, repeatedly cited and parodied)
• Dan Bernstein (re: Bears buying Arlington):
  • “Well, we had no choice. We had to buy it. You don't have to buy everything that's for sale.” (03:51)
• On compensatory picks:
  • “In every facet of the word, Ian's a general manager in this league.” (14:11, Matt Ryan via Matt)
• Matt Abaticola (on Cousins):
  • “If you draft him, that's starter. He's, he's, he's day one, that's your guy. Kirk Cousins is not there to be a bridge quarterback at all.” (22:45)
• On Packers coach LaFleur:
  • “There's a...there's the asshole gene...and then there's the teacher gene, which Matt LaFleur has.” (26:34, banter)
• On Andy Reid’s legacy:
  • “He should be given a... legacy seat. He referred him as the 33rd coach no matter what. Yes, he gets that seat.” (32:22, Matt)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Stadium, McCaskey audio, and financial risk: 00:22–12:11
• Ian Cunningham / Comp Picks / Falcons hiring moves: 12:09–18:04
• Kirk Cousins to the Raiders & NFL contracts: 18:36–23:44
• Bears draft prospects & Packers talk: 23:53–27:05
• NFL Coaches Photo & Kyle Brandt breakdown: 29:20–36:44

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Tone & Language

Bernstein and Abaticola keep things sharp, irreverent, and entirely unfiltered—never shying away from skewering ownership, the league, or rival fanbases. There’s investigative depth, but also a willingness to go sideways into NFL oddities and inside jokes that will resonate with regular listeners.

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This episode captures the complex uncertainty around the Bears’ future—both in stadium and in league battles—while providing fan-level catharsis and deep league context that even non-Bears followers will appreciate.

Transcript

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan,

[Dan Bernstein]

you're thinking forward progress. Come on.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

10, 2, 19. 2, 19.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

We give you forward progress right here, right now on 312 Sports. And the Chicago Bears are making multiple headline lines. It's not for anything on the football field. Part of it is determining where their next football field is going to be and part of it determines how many draft picks they might have. But the important people in the world of the Chicago Bears are talking.

[Matt Abaticola]

They certainly did talk. And we have some audio from George McCaskey. I just took a few of his cuts, put them all together so you can listen to everything all at one time. He talks a little bit in here about, about George Hallis as well. So this is George McCaskey and talking about the Bear stadium issues.

[Dan Bernstein]

Kevin has said and the commissioner has said we need to make a decision sooner rather than later. When the process is completed in one place or the other and we have a deal to consider, then we'll look to see where we are with the other situation and we'll make a decision. We've been working on property tax certainty ever since we acquired the land. Well, we didn't control the timing of the acquisition of Arlington Park. Churchill Downs was in a position where they were ready to sell. So they largely determined the timing. Well, he played for the Hammond all stars in 1919, so that's where he got his start in football. The Hammond All Stars happened to play many of their quote unquote home games at Cubs Park.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So

[Dan Bernstein]

he was on a decades long quest himself to find the proper stadium solution. I think the first Mayor Daley's first blue ribbon stadium commission was established in 1956, which happened to be the year I was born. So I happen to know that was a long time ago. I don't think in the end it's going to matter to people. Back in 1976, the New York Football Giants went across the state line to New Jersey. They've been there ever since. The jets joined them shortly thereafter. And then 35 years later, both teams had an opportunity to reevaluate their situations and recommitted to New Jersey. And somehow the Republic has survived. When the Bears moved from Wrigley Field to Solderfield, it required an adjustment. When we went to Champaign, it required an adjustment. And whether we go to Arlington park or to Hammond, there is going to be an adjustment period. People are going to have to be allowed some time to get used to it. I think Bears fans are up to it.

[Matt Abaticola]

So that's George McCaskey there. It's interesting. When he talked about the sale of Arlington park and then the subsequent purchase by the Bears, he said that the Churchill Downs, they controlled the timing of it. So that's really weird. When people sell things, they control the timing of when it's sold. So, like, when we bought our house, we went to that house and just knocked on the door and said, hey, you're gonna sell your house now.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Give us this house.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they said, what? We're selling our house? Yes. You're selling it. I control the timing of when you sell your house. So the Bears unfortunately, had to deal with the timing of when Churchill Downs wanted to sell Arlington Park. Yeah.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And then they also had to deal with the fact that they bought it. Yeah, right. No one. No one forced you to buy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now what?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Right. Well, hey, this is a pretty awesome opportunity. We should buy this. I'm like, well, we had no choice. We had to buy it. You don't have to buy everything that's for sale. You'd never get out of the store.

[Matt Abaticola]

I made a really big cart.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You're right. Honey, I'm home. For the grocery store. What the hell?

[Matt Abaticola]

What'd you buy? Everything.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

It was all on sale. I had to buy it.

[Matt Abaticola]

I couldn't control the timing of when Mariano's had this for sale.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So, George, you're on message. I get it if you want to hear my full breakdown and my personal thoughts on what's going on here and what I'm hearing and what's real and what's not real and what is just being put out there for the sake of maintaining leverage, etc. Or perception of leverage. That's all on DBU today. But I would say to George, it's a. It's a pretty good job staying on message, but you don't want to dig too deep. He can talk about 1956 and talk about what was going on with that first blue Ribbon commission, but you get a little further into the future there in 1975, and you start talking about George Hallis playing for the team in Hammond. It was George Hallis who specifically identified that parcel of land at Arlington Heights.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

As the place where he wanted to build a Bears stadium. So this.

[Matt Abaticola]

And that was then when Richard J. Daly said, you'll never take the Chicago name with you.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're not going to be the Chicago Bears if you move. George also talked about the money side of things, because, remember, there's there's this little idea of $2 billion the Bears, the McCaskey family will provide for this new stadium.

[Dan Bernstein]

It'll have no impact whatsoever. This is a significant risk for the family on. For the organization, but it's on the business side. It won't impact what's available for football operations whatsoever.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, so that was asked about, you know, this, this $2 billion, when you come up with that, how will that impact the roster, the football side of things? And he says it won't at all. This is the business side.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So, no, it's also not a significant risk.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hang on, hang on. He had more.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And from the outset, the $2 billion private funding promise has been out there. Where will that money go originate?

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.

[Matt Abaticola]

There you go, Dan.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What risk? Risk of default?

[Matt Abaticola]

The risk of having to pay it back. Because how. How are they going to pay back loan?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

How are we ever. For. How will any creditor look at this, something as crazy as a stadium investment in NFL teams, a legacy NFL teams stadium investment, and think it could possibly generate money?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, Dan, imagine that con. Okay, so I'm going to give you $2 billion. How can I. How can I guarantee that you're going to pay me back the $2 billion? What do you have? Well, we own an NFL football team. Hmm. I don't know. Which team do you own? The Chicago Bears? I don't know. Let me run it past my manager and see what he says.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You gotta have the clear coat on there for you, too.

[Matt Abaticola]

What do you think of these floor mats, George?

[Dan Bernstein]

Right.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You want to get the X package? Well, the X package, you know, you could switch this thing from automatic to stick and essentially shift it yourself with the paddle shifters.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, buddy, I mean, that's where the risk is involved for the McCaskey family. Like, they've got to be. They're on the hook then for $2 billion.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Oh, no. How will the McCaskeys ever sleep knowing of what could possibly happen? That this investment, they could all of a sudden they'll build it and they'll have Bears games there and it'll be empty.

[Matt Abaticola]

See, that's why I love George McCammon,

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

because no one will possibly come to these games.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why would they. Why would they go. It's just an NFL game. That very end comment there. Just the pure honesty and simplicity of George McCaskey.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.

[Matt Abaticola]

We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

If only somebody could possibly lend us money for this sketchy pie in the sky idea of building a stadium for the Bears. This is a big risk. Oh, boy. I don't know. Like, hey, George, if you need a. If you need a partner in that risk, I'm right here. You know, if you, if you need these people with great integrity, if you need people who are able to. Intrepid folks who can stand next to you and be able to bear this level of risk, I think you might be able to find people who are, who are certainly willing to join you in this. In this dangerous, terrifying risk, this jump, this, this leap of faith that you're taking in constructing a Chicago Bears stadium.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, Dan, when you think about it, though, who's. Who's gonna be willing to give them that money?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, you may have to go to, I don't know, some.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, there'll be creditors out there that'll be. They'll be meeting over and over again and saying, well, how will they ever pay us back?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Right? Or maybe this is a lot of

[Matt Abaticola]

money to give up.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Maybe they'll have to go to the black market of usurious loan sharks, charging them the painful interest rates and threatening to break their legs if they can't come through and repay it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe they were involved with that KitKat heist and that's. They're gonna sell KitKats on the black candy market.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Now you're. Black candy market's different.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, that's different.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

The. The candy black market. Yeah, Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Indie market. Wait, let me go to Google. Racist.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Got to make sure we're talking about the right things. Yeah, go to racist Google and see what it says about sour gummy worms. So just.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right. Yeah, yeah, just.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're gonna have to borrow it because we don't have it.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Now. Now you've really, you, you've cut to the quick there, Dan Weederer. You've, you've really. You've. You got me on that one. We're going to have to borrow it. We don't have it. And everything is where the risk comes in.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's where the risk comes in.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

The entire future of the McCaskey family hangs.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, you're putting the family on. I mean, they're going to be on the hook for $2 billion.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What will we ever do? How can we possibly make this money back with.

[Matt Abaticola]

George is going to have to get a part time job. He's going to have to do more. I mean, doesn't he, he referees basketball games. Right?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Be busy. He's going to take all games. Yeah, he's going to take Joe Bartosh's games. We can't have that happen. We can't have that happen. Oh, man. Okay. Well, I hope, I hope the Bears are able to live with, with all of this terrifying financial uncertainty. And you know what? I want to go back to something else. He said we have to wait until the process is complete. No, you don't.

[Matt Abaticola]

The first cut, right?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah. You don't have to wait until the process is complete. You could take the Hammond deal right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Right now. That deal's not changing. They're not playing them off of each other. Indiana has put their cards on the table. Here's this deal and the Bears like, well, we haven't completed the process yet. We got to, we get. Because they're holding the door open for

[Matt Abaticola]

everything because that's where they want to go. So is Indiana still. Is still going to give them $5 billion? Is that, was that part of the deal? Right. They would provide 5 billion, I think through future ticket sales to concerts and like, I don't know, county fairs and things. Right.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

For.

[Matt Abaticola]

And they'll give them $5 billion. Yeah.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And probably eminent domain if they're gonna get it because they don't, they don't really care about actual people there. So, you know, they, they can do whatever they want when everyone's just like, yep, sure. Give them all of it. Duty, healthcare.

[Matt Abaticola]

Nope.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What about schools for your kids? Nope. Roads. Nope. Give it to the football team. Okay. Enjoy. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why would you need roads? You got trucks and tractors.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Roads. We're in Indiana. We don't need roads.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're gonna have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Good luck. We're all counting on you. We're gonna have to borrow it. I don't know if it's ever gonna work. This crazy, crazy plan of building an NFL stadium. I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, speaking of.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Might just fall through.

[Matt Abaticola]

Speaking of stories that, that just won't, won't end because this is a never ending saga with the Bear stadium issue. Dan. The compensatory picks, the comp picks from Ian Cunningham, leaving the Bears being hired

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

still an open item.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. They, they've gone to New York and they're, they're, they're petitioning the league Office for these picks.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I'm kind of with them.

[Matt Abaticola]

George and Kevin and Ryan.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I'm. I'm with them. It brings some muscle with you there because you need. You need to explain. You just need to play all the sound of what people on the Falcons are actually saying. That's what you have to do. And these things, both things cannot be true. The Falcons comments cannot be true. If you're saying that Ian Cunningham does not deserve comp picks, and I don't

[Matt Abaticola]

know if you saw this too, that they. The Falcons actually just hired. Who do they hire? Didn't they? They just hired a new assistant general manager.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Okay. It shouldn't matter because they hired Matt Ryan as the football czar, or whatever they're calling him, but they keep going out of their way.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So they hired Jeff Scott as the new assistant gm.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

They brought him in from Philadelphia to work alongside with Ian Cunningham. So he'll be the assistant gm reporting to Ian Cunningham, who runs all of football operations.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

This was what was said to PFT live by Matt Ryan. He is the gm. Ian Cunningham. He is the gm. I'm learning. I mean, you talk about the things that are coming on your desk every day, management council things, different things like that, why they rule certain ways, why they don't rule certain ways. I'm not experienced enough to give you a really credible answer on that at this point. I would say this, I think, in every facet of the word. Ian's a general manager in this league. Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. So Jeff Scott, who came from Philadelphia, was previously served as the vice president of football operations for the Eagles for the last three years. He now goes and becomes the assistant general manager to Ian Cunningham. So a guy who served as the vice president of football operations for the

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Eagles under Howie Roseman goes to the

[Matt Abaticola]

Falcons to serve under Ian Cunningham. But Ian Cunningham is not in charge of football operations. Please.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I don't know what more you need to hear other than I don't get it in every facet of the word. Ian's a general manager. That's what the Falcons. Matt Ryan is saying right now. So I'll give you my theory, and it could be wrong, but my theory is the league has painted itself into a corner now because of your guy whoimer down in Florida who is going hard against the Rooney rule.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. Saying that it violates hiring laws within

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

the state, even though it's only a recommendation and not a mandate.

[Matt Abaticola]

Correct.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

It just allows you to have more of an opportunity. There is. There is an incentive there. And they might. They can rule on the legality of the incentive. But for the, for the Bears to not receive these picks, the NFL would be seen perhaps as putting a finger to the wind of the political climate and simply saying they don't want the smoke. That if after this comes in and after this grandstanding public display by the Florida attorney general, they were to say, well, you know, it would be seen then as, as a response perhaps like, oh, really, you're coming after the Rooney rule? Watch this. The Chicago Bears are getting two third round picks because they helped develop a minority executive candidate here like we wanted. And it may just be that they, I don't know if they're terrified of a truth social post or whatever it's going to be or what scares them, but that it may be why they're getting cold feet. I just think that would be plausible for them to say, like, all right, we just, we're going to lay low here in this to keep it from becoming front page news because, you know, everybody gets scared. Executives get scared. Everybody involves like, oh, we don't, we can't deal with that. And we're not going to deal with everything on social media or they're going to, they're going to hold their ground and say, this is our policy, our policy is good. If you want to challenge it, that's on a different channel entirely. And maybe the Bears are able to make a case. But I do think some of the larger context may be in play.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I just, I don't understand how the NFL could not give the Bears these picks. And I've thought that for weeks and a couple months now, as has everyone else in the world who's had an opinion and a thought on this situation. Just no one understands how the Bears aren't getting these picks.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And the picks don't come from the Falcons.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right. It's not like the Falcons are losing picks. They come from the league.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Right. These are creating.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sets up an incentive. The Bears followed the incentive. Ian Cunningham gets promoted to run a football team as the general manager. The Bears then get picks based on

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

the rule that the league has created that.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then the league says, well, no, you don't get the picks because Matt Ryan's in charge. And then Matt Ryan comes out and says, well, Ian Cunningham runs everything with football.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I know, I know. People say I'm in charge. I'm not really in charge. Well, all right, great. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And speaking of the Atlanta Falcons, two other notes on the Atlanta Falcons. I don't know if you saw this picture of their new uniforms. They're releasing, they have new, new uniforms for 2026.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I think I. Yeah. Wasn't this.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, it's fine if you didn't. But whatever. I mean, there's very. Red jerseys, white jerseys, white pants, black pants. They're very basic, you know, Very basic. But a bigger story, though, is former Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

As a new job, Dan, as a corner where Kirk Cousins is going to play quarterback in the NFL in 2026.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Let me guess, he has returned to the Minnesota Vikings quarterback room and they've had.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now they have six.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So they can get everything out of that room with no promises made to anybody. It's all about compiling as many quarterbacks as possible and adding them up.

[Matt Abaticola]

Kirk Cousins has found a new home and a chance to play the bridge quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

With that line.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I mean, they've, they've improved their line. We'll see what else they do in the draft as well.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because Kirk Cousins will earn $20 million fully guaranteed for playing in the 2026 season.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Look, he can still throw the ball.

[Matt Abaticola]

He can still throw the ball.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

He just can't move. And he can still read a defense, but by God, protect that man.

[Matt Abaticola]

He can't move.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And make sure the passing lanes are well defined. Just make, do not ask him to ambulate.

[Matt Abaticola]

So 1.3 million will be paid by the Raiders. So that's, you know, very, very. That's team friendly for them. 1.3 million with the remainder paid by the Falcons. Another 10 million is fully guaranteed due on the third day of the new league year in March of 2027. The Raiders also have a two year, $80 million option for 27 and 28, which will be, you know, they're not going to pick that up. And then Tom Pelissero, he added to the deal includes two void years for 29 and 30. 30 for salary cap purposes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, this is that. That's all accounting.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, that's all it is.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Anything if he, if he lasts one more year after this, I'd be surprised. But I'm looking at the Falcons uniforms right now that you were telling me about.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, yeah, that's what, that's what I said. Right.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I. In all of professional sports, there may not be a team whose uniforms I care about less than the Atlanta Falcons. And I don't know what it is, but maybe you talk about a team that takes up almost no space in my mind about anything. With rare exception, it's the Atlanta Falcons.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why, that's interesting.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I don't I got nothing for you. It like as a kid, they didn't matter to me. Like, usually that stuff like that is set when you're very young.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, what about the Jacksonville Jaguars? Well, they came in the league in the mid-90s, right.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So, yeah, they came in and they

[Matt Abaticola]

were own man at that point.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And they were good when they started because they had Tom Coughlin demanding everybody be a day early to every meeting. Yes. Screaming Red Face, Tom Coffin Toughlin, take off your sunglasses. Don't sit on your helmet. All that stuff.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't sit on your sunglasses either.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

No, he urged them to sit on their sunglasses. But this is. I, I, for some reason the Falcons do I get. There's no schema for me. There's nothing to me that interesting really engenders any feeling of any kind.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Clint Kubiak, who's of course the new head coach of the, the Raiders, he said he'd prefer to have a veteran quarterback available to start the season. And then all it took was a couple days later and they end up signing Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed $20 million deal. They'll pay 1.3 and then the Falcons pay the rest of that. So he'll be there to help shepherd and guide the young Fernando Mendoza, whose

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

pro day apparently was terrific.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I read that. That he was. Yeah. Just off the charts.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You know how I feel about Mendoza, though. And I would say this acquisition, if you do, you need a bridge quarterback to the number one overall pick.

[Matt Abaticola]

I, I was surprised that it was worded that way. Like, I understand bringing him in as a backup. As a backup, as a guy that can, that can help. Because I think, I think Mendoza is probably going to be over the moon being able to say that he has Kirk Cousins in that room to work with and learn from. But I thought if you, if you

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

draft him, that's starter.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's, he's, he's day one, that's your guy. That Kirk Cousins is not there to be a bridge quarterback at all.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Be there to be a player type coach, developer, helper in that room.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I don't get it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I don't, I don't understand that, that part of it either.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Not for that money.

[Matt Abaticola]

I totally get bringing him in. Especially if you're only paying 1.3 million. I'd bring them in, too.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, I guess that's true. The amount that they're paying. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

I would say. Welcome. Here's your, here's your jersey. Here's a pair of slides.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Wear these. You won't need Shoes, ball cap, jersey and slides.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right here's a clipboard. Have you met Fernando? We're gonna help him along. Yeah, that's what he would be. He would be so ecstatic.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I'm so happy to have Kirk Cousins here as my backup quarterback. And it's gonna be great. And he's gonna tell me to know that I don't know. And I know there are things that I don't know. Yeah, he's.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's exactly.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Piece of work, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's exactly what it's going to be.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

That's. He's a. He's a piece of work.

[Matt Abaticola]

Two other quick things before, because I know we want to get back to our team photo. Nick shook of the NFL, NFL.com his mock draft.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

This was Shook.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. All night. This was a name I love seeing. I don't think he'll be there, but he has the Bears at 25 taking offensive tackle from Alabama, Kaden Proctor. All right, I would love to see, but I don't think he'll be there at 25.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Well, if Ben Johnson liked Penne Sewell, I'm not saying Proctor's as good as Penne Sewell, but when you're talking about the guy that you can run your gimmick stuff with and throw him passes and give him the ball, he's a really good athlete. I don't know that he's quick enough or stout enough to be a star at the position, but with development, he could be. He could be very good and certainly reliable. I don't know immediately he could be, but I, you know, I like giant athletic men at that position.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then packers team president Ed Policy, of course, you know, the, the owners meetings this week going on in Arizona. He met with the media, talked about Matt LaFleur. He said he was very shocked, very shocked that people were even asking him about the idea of firing Matt LaFleur last year or at the end of the season. I should say, very shocked to hear that he says that. Matt is a teacher. He's a natural at it. His parents were both teachers. Just watching him develop players as individuals and then more importantly, develop those individuals in the teams over the last seven years, I've been very impressed with him, in particular at the quarterback position. That coupled with the locker room that supports him. And then from Jordan Love to the rest of the locker room, you guys have probably all had a chance to talk to many of those guys. They support him openly and they support him behind closed doors.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

That sounds like a lot of pushback. That's a little much. That's what they say is statement written by Kevin o'. Connor. Gilding the lily, perhaps.

[Matt Abaticola]

I think he's the winningest. You guys can correct me if I'm wrong. In this time in the league as a head coach, I think he's the winningest NFC coach and I think the third winningest coach in the NFL in those seven years. Frankly, the fact that I was even being asked, is firing him even an option at that point? I was a little bit shocked by that.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Ed, my partner here, fired him. What's that?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, I did. So what's that deal? What's that. What's that new contract extension?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's still not done. But he's impressed with him as a teacher because his parents were teachers. He's a natural at it. He's a teacher. I can tell he's a good teacher because I've seen the way he develops players.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You know, it's not a gene that you inherit.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. Science has just found that, Dan. It's a teacher gene.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

The teacher gene.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. There's a. There's the asshole gene.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Oh, don't forget.

[Matt Abaticola]

Don't forget.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You got to have the Neanderthal gene.

[Matt Abaticola]

Neanderthal gene. Dougie had that. And then there's the teacher gene, which Matt LaFleur has.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Okay, well, hey, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

That.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

The survey was not kind to him. Players didn't like him, and he even said, like, yeah, well, maybe I have to be nicer to people.

[Matt Abaticola]

But, Dan, it's surprised, though, because you guys. I mean, they support him openly, and they support him behind closed doors all the time.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Constantly. They're constantly telling him how much they love him. He's like, no, stop, stop. I know. Come on. Come on. You're embarrassing me. Stop telling me, you know, you're making.

[Matt Abaticola]

Wait, so wait. So they support him openly, and so that's publicly. And they support him behind closed.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Secretly. They write him little notes. They're all. They're always handing him. Like.

[Matt Abaticola]

But here's the question.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Drop it on the floor. Like, kick it over to him. Hey, Matt, pick up that note.

[Matt Abaticola]

See, but you don't know this. Is he in that room? Is he in the room behind those closed doors where they're supporting him?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

The question.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's what I would have followed up.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Which I would have said, ed, Ed here, which George threw into sports, is, is Matt in that room behind those closed doors with those players that are supporting him? And are they the same players that support him openly? That's What I would have asked.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Ah, there could be separate factions.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, you could have. There are those that support him publicly and those that only support him behind closed doors when he's not in the room.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yes. And there's a schism in the locker room between those who are willing to put their name on their public support and those that just feed blind items to the reporters.

[Matt Abaticola]

There could be guys in that room behind closed doors that want to open those doors and support him.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Oh, I don't know. Then you're not talking about quite publicly.

[Matt Abaticola]

We'll do it in a room as long as the doors open.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What if.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, what if it's two doors

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

and one and it's maybe. What if the door is a jar? Does that change the level of support

[Matt Abaticola]

if it's not fully open all the way? Yes, that's a good question. Like they're keeping it open with a. Like one shoe?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah. When is a door.

[Matt Abaticola]

Maybe they borrowed one of Kirk cousins shoes because he won't need them. And they're keeping the door ajar.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And his actual football shoes because he's only wearing slides.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Well, we want you to compete for the job. Do I get football shoes? Oh, no, no. So you don't really want me to compete.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or shoulder pads.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You're competing for the job.

[Matt Abaticola]

Or a helmet.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

But these aren't football shoes. Well, yes they are.

[Matt Abaticola]

You're fine.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Just wear those.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I said this to you yesterday and I thought it was very funny.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Well, we had a listener send it to us.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, right on. On X.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And his name, Robert, I think was his.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, Robert. Robert. So thank you, Robert. Appreciate that. And then I knew you wouldn't see it on. On Twitter, so that's why I sent it to you directly via our.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Thank you.

[Matt Abaticola]

Our chat.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yes, the group chat.

[Matt Abaticola]

The group chat of me and you.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And I'm Kyle Brandt. Bothers me.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Because it's not fair that he. If usually if you're a former player and you got a great head of hair and you're smart and good looking, you're not also like funny and creative and clever.

[Matt Abaticola]

So you think he's the total package. He's like a fine tool player.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

What can he dance and sing though?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I think he might be able to. He might be the triple threat. He might be.

[Matt Abaticola]

So if he can. If he can dance and sing, is funny, good looking and has great hair.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

He might be the perfect male specimen.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Didn't he go to Princeton too?

[Matt Abaticola]

Wow. Did he really?

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I think. I think he played at Princeton. Yeah. So I'm. I'm so. I'm like, okay, what do you got for us? Kyle Brandt? And it was. It was really fun.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was very funny. So he goes through. He breaks down.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Really funny.

[Matt Abaticola]

And so my favorite part of it, and this was. I don't know what your favorite part was, but mine was the call out on John Harbaugh's shoes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Oh, the loafers with the socks.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's wearing black loafers with white ankle socks. And he zooms in on it really closely. You can see it's a really bad look.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And then he said, if you. If you are the Harbaugh that is weirder than Jim Harbaugh, like, if you do something that is considered stranger than that guy, than the other Harbaugh, what that means.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So we got our answer to who the big guy was on the right.

[Matt Abaticola]

I did not think the big meatball on the right. Yes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

It's Nick Sirianni. I didn't know he was that beefy.

[Matt Abaticola]

He doesn't look that beefy in games. Unless he's put on, like, 60 pounds since the season ended. He does not look like that on the sidelines.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I agree that. That caught me off guard. And I loved the breakdown of what he referred to as Mike Vrabel frame mogging.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Mog yogging. Mogging, where he is just asserting the Vrabel D dominance. He's totally, man spreading each. He's like. He's on the blue line and just has, you know, one leg into the guy next to him, just. And he just man spreading to give you his, you know, the. The. The whole khakis package. And then he's got, you know, his hand on either knee, and he's just, you know, kind of putting it out there like that. And he. That was. That was noticed also wearing nice loafers

[Matt Abaticola]

without white ankle socks, the way you should wear them.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

And when we saw where Andy Reid was wearing the terry shirt. What. What Brandt said, you know, buddy. But what.

[Matt Abaticola]

What.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What Brandt said was that Andy Reid should get the Andy Reid seat front

[Matt Abaticola]

and center in the middle.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah. Like, no matter what. Right. Like he said, even after he retires, no matter how long he's out of the league, he should be given a leg. Referred to legacy seat. He referred him as the 33rd coach no matter what. Yes, he gets that seat.

[Matt Abaticola]

But. But in his video, though, where did he start? His. His first point out was what was

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur's distance from each other or lack thereof. Knowing that there might be beef I, the whole, the whole idea of it. And he's in love with Dave Canales. He was talking about the thread count on Dave Canales, his shirt and just handsome. He was how he's the perfect specimen.

[Matt Abaticola]

And then we pointed out Robert Sala as well, as did Kyle Brandt, but he says he doesn't work out. He trains, which is very different than working out.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah, he's just not like an in shape coach. He's like, he's not at the fitness center at the hotel. No, this guy, this guy is doing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Training for an MMA fight.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Much more serious stuff. What we could do, and this was, was for years in, when I worked in pro basketball. Every year when we got the, the Phoenix Suns media guide, the actual paper media guide that now if you go to, you know, the, the estate of Les Grobstein, I'm sure you can buy any one of them. But they had a trainer there for years, guy named Joe Prosky.

[Matt Abaticola]

Dude, I, I'm sorry to pause you because whenever I think of Les or I hear Les's name now, I immediately think of that story that you told about the press pass. That's just, that is a, that's a, that's a classic, classic story. It is, it is so good. It's so good. Sorry, I don't. It just again, I, I, if someone mentions him on Twitter or his name comes up somewhere, I immediately now like, I associate that story with, with less because he would have been beside himself, upset, angry.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I know what I had.

[Matt Abaticola]

Would have hated you.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

What I had to do to make that right.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was great, dude. But I'm really, I'm really impressed. You went through all of that to get it done too.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I had to.

[Matt Abaticola]

He would have killed you.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Well, not just that. It's like his level of disappointment and sadness.

[Matt Abaticola]

I would have been devastated.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

I would not have been able to live with that with myself for having.

[Matt Abaticola]

Sorry, I don't mean to distract you.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

So anyway, they had his trainer named Joe Prosky who looked like Bob Ross. He looked just like Bob Ross.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

You know, the big term. And he was the trainer. I believe he was credited with either inventing or co inventing Flex all the. He, it was some like wintergreen oil Ben Gay clone that he got a patent on or. So they made a lot of money with where Flexol was sort of the muscle rub. And he was always in the same spot on the team photo. And he started with the team in like 68 and went all the way through to the 2000s. And if you took the media guide and. And flipped it and did a flip book. You could watch Joe Prosky age. It's an. It was an animation. That's cool because he always was in the same spot. So that was when he was saying the Andy Reid seat. I kept thinking, like, if you did a flip book, you could do an animated aging of Andy Reid from, like, red hair, butchy mustache, and the whole thing to just sort of, you know, watch him become this. This grandfatherly figure. But.

[Matt Abaticola]

But in the animation, though, he's always eating a hoagie. I mean, how does that. How does that work? Because in the photos, he doesn't have one.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

He should have done that. And. And if, in fact, Burger, if he is like the 33rd team guy, that would be great if he. And I don't know if we could retcon it, but there would be, like a slow motion of him moving the entire meatball sandwich or whatever it is. I don't even. Cheese. A cheeseburger was always his thing. That was my theory. Remember during COVID when he had the giant mask? Well, first he was one of the guys that had the plastic shield, and he had the giant mask that was bulbous. And I always thought that there was a double cheeseburger inside of it. Inside the mask.

[Matt Abaticola]

He's just chewing on it slowly every

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

once in a while.

[Matt Abaticola]

Enjoying it.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Yeah. 28. Toss, trap. X, long Y, cross. Tiger, Tiger.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, because I think it started off actually as a cheeseburger. He would just put a cheeseburger with a rubber band.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

That was the mask.

[Matt Abaticola]

That was the mask.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Well, I guess I gotta pretend this is something else, right? But, you know, my. My grudging good job. Was kind of hoping that Kyle Brandt's thing wouldn't be funny because it was.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was very funny.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

He does everything well. It's damn annoying.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was really good.

[Dan Bernstein]

We're going to have to borrow it because we don't have it. That's where the risk comes in.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, George.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Someone think of an NFL team's owners who have to borrow money to build a stadium and all of that terrible, terrible risk.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, that's where all the risk comes from. And McCaskey family is willing to take that on for you. The Bears fan. Now, he says that if it's Hammond or Arlington Heights, you'll be able to adjust and you'll. You'll be able. And you're up for it.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

As a Bear fan, I can adjust easy because it's on the same channel.

[Matt Abaticola]

As long as you stay on the tv, George, I don't care where you play.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

My adjustment could not be easier. If you want your TV studio there, your TV studio here, that's fine. But I just keep it on television. I'm good either way.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's all. That's all we need. And that's Forward Progress for today. He's Dan Bernstein. I'm Matt abaticola. This is 312Sports. We're here for you every day with Bears and NFL News right here on Forward Progress.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

Forward progress has stopped.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 31 2, sports.

[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

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[Matt Abaticola]

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[Unidentified Co-host or Guest]

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