NFC Notes: Matthew Golden, Sam Howell, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham was a finalist for both the Titans and Jaguars GM jobs this offseason and felt like he was in limbo after he began helping the Bears search for their new head coach, after he found the Titans were moving in a different direction.

“Being in and out of those situations, it’s tough because you feel a certain way,” Cunningham told Courtney Cronin. “You devote your time here. You want to help this crew and you also have your own goals and aspirations so you feel a little bit weird. Again, thankful for those opportunities. Grateful for those opportunities. Yeah, when it didn’t work out, not gonna lie. It hurt. Not immune to that. But you gotta pick yourself back up off the mat, shake the cob webs off and start swinging again. That’s where we’re at here. Now, my sole focus is this draft and bringing a winner to Chicago.”

Packers

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst addressed the team drafting WR Matthew Golden and believes that he is a player who will continue to improve.

“The one thing as we scouted him, he’s a third-year junior coming out, he’s a young guy, and his best football is ahead of him. He’s still got a lot of room for growth. He’s not at his ceiling,” Gutekunst said, via Pro Football Talk.

Vikings

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said the team considered drafting QB Sam Howell back in 2022, yet didn’t feel it was right at the time. They now have Howell on the roster after acquiring him in a trade with the Seahawks.

“We weren’t in the right place to do that type of thing,” Adofo-Mensah said, via Pro Football Talk. “And, so, we didn’t think that was the right time. But he was a pure talent and all those other things we talk about, he was high up on our board but just didn’t think it was the right time and place. And sometimes that happens in life, that maybe a person you’re dating is not the right time and place, but then later on in life it happens at a better time.”