NFL Rumors: Commanders Narrow GM Search to Bears' Ian Cunningham, 49ers' Adam Peters

The Washington Commanders have reportedly narrowed their search for their next general manager to two candidates.

According to B/R's Jordan Schultz, Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters are the two finalists for the position, and the Commanders are "close" to making a decision.

Ben Standig and David Aldridge of The Athletic noted that Cunningham, Peters and "three other candidates" met with Commanders owner Josh Harris and the team's search committee members for a first round of interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday. With Cunningham and Peters as the only remaining candidates, second interviews are "expected in the coming days."

It was noted that Harris has said the search for a new person to lead Washington's front office would be a "thorough but rapid process." His goal reportedly is to have a new hire in place before teams are allowed to begin in-person interviews with head coaching candidates on Jan. 22.

Standig and Aldridge described Peters as "the talent evaluation arm of the 49ers' hierarchy." He rose through the front office after being hired in 2017 as vice president of player personnel. He's regarded as one of the top talent evaluators in the NFL and he's arguably the most coveted GM candidate this offseason.

Cunningham has also drawn interest from "numerous teams" thanks to his "ability to marry traditional player evaluation with analytics," per Standig and Aldridge. He reportedly was a finalist for the Tennessee Titans GM position before Ran Cathon was hired, and he reportedly turned down an offer from the Arizona Cardinals to become their next GM.

It appears that the Commanders can't go wrong with either Peters or Cunningham, but they must select the right person to lead them after their recent run of ineptitude.