Griffen off board as Bears search for pass

The Minnesota Vikings appear ready to invest heavily in the potential of defensive end Everson Griffen.

According to multiple national reports that broke Sunday afternoon, Griffen and the Vikings are now finalizing a new five-year deal that could pay him up to $42.5 million and will set him up to be a full-time starter under new head coach Mike Zimmer and defensive coordinator George Edwards.

With the re-signing of Griffen, one of the top available defensive ends on the free-agent market is no longer available to the Bears, who are in desperate need at the position. But, presumably, the Griffen deal also takes the Vikings out of the running for 27-year-old Michael Johnson, who played under Zimmer in Cincinnati for the past five seasons.

That connection had many analysts speculating that a Zimmer-Johnson reunion would materialize in Minneapolis.

The Bears may show interest in Johnson as the opening of free agency hits Tuesday afternoon. But there also has been significant buzz that they are making a strong play to chase Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett.

Defensive end seems to be the Bears' biggest need heading into free agency. So it would not be a surprise if general manager Phil Emery was allotting his resources accordingly.

With Griffen off the board, the other top ends with expiring contracts are Bennett, Johnson and Oakland's Lamarr Houston.

Griffen, 26, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2010 and has shown marked growth in his four seasons in Minnesota. In 2012, as a part-time player, Griffen contributed eight sacks and returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown. This past season, Griffen totaled 27 tackles with 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

Still, with perennial Pro Bowler Jared Allen headed for the open market, the Vikings didn't want to let Griffen hit free agency as well.

Now, the rest of the league will keep a pulse on the domino effect of the Griffen signing.

Twitter @danwiederer

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