Sometimes, a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil and causes a tornado in Texas. In the NFL last season, that Texas tornado was C.J. Stroud, the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Coaches like to say no game – or in this case resulting circumstances – comes down to one play. But if not for one play, Stroud and phenomenal young quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson would be in other uniforms.
In a made-for-documentary moment, Ari Meirov revealed important context on his NFL Spotlight podcast this week with Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham.
Rewind to Jan. 8, 2023. Then-Texans quarterback Davis Mills orchestrates a 14-play, 83-yard drive, hitting Jordan Akins for a 28-yard touchdown on fourth-and-20 to bring Houston within 31-30 with 50 seconds remaining. Then, in his last call as Texans head coach, Lovie Smith goes for the win, and Mills again connects with Akins for the game-winning two points.
So where was Cunningham when Akins caught those passes?
“I was in my feelings,” said Cunningham, hired by Chicago general manager Ryan Poles prior to that 2022 season. “That’s where I was. Personally, I’d never been part of a team or a season like that. To be honest, I was in my feelings a little bit.”
Cunningham remembers exiting an elevator after a difficult 29-13 loss to the Vikings, trying to make sense of what sat on the Bears’ horizon. Thinking Chicago had the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, Cunningham walked into the locker room shocked to hear an equipment manager breaking the news: Thanks to the Texans, Chicago possessed the No. 1 overall selection.
“Then, my phone started blowing up,” Cunningham said. “I started getting congratulatory texts. That was the weirdest time for me. Congratulations? To this day, it still doesn’t sit well with me because I was getting congratulated for being part of the worst team.”
Thankfully, a longtime mentor framed the situation with a much better perspective.
“You have a chance to change the trajectory of one of the most stories franchises in the NFL,” said Cunningham’s mentor.
Cunningham, Poles and the Bears quickly focused on the opportunities ahead of them. They wound up trading the No. 1 selection to Carolina, picking up wide receiver DJ Moore and several more picks, including Carolina’s first-round choice in 2024. After the Panthers took Young in 2023, Houston selected Stroud at No. 2 and Indianapolis chose Richardson at No. 4.
Then, after Young and the Panthers won just two games in 2023, Chicago again acquired the No. 1 selection, using it to draft Williams.
It’s a great backstory for Houston’s season-opening trip to Indianapolis, where the AFC South rivals kick off their next chapters on Sept. 8.