Around the NFL: Free Agency News, Rumors and Transactions

Master Tesfatsion (quite a name) of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune believes free agent defensive end Everson Griffen as a franchise tag candidate for the Vikings.

If that comes to be, it's hard to envision Mike Zimmer being reunited with one of his favorite Bengals players in Michael Johnson. Johnson is expected to command anywhere between $7-10 million annually, and that means the Vikings would have to pay upwards of $20 million to just two defensive ends if the sign him and tag Griffen.

Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 in Buffalo believes the Bills could use the franchise tag on safety Jairus Byrd and later attempt to trade him if they not able to work out a new long-term deal.

It seems like a good idea i theory inorder to prevent losing Byrd for nothing, but after tagging him last year, are they willing to undergo another offseason of uncertainty surrounding one of their best players? If Byrd manages to hit the open market, he'll be one of the top defensive backs available.

Chicago Bears free agent cornerback Charles Tillman doesn't want to move to safety for whoever signs him in free agency.

Tillman will turn 33 this month, so moving to safety in the same manner Charles Woodson did to extend his NFL career seems like a good idea, but he believes he's capable of playing at a high level at corner. At his age, he might not have the market waiting for his services that he anticipates, so the Bengals could give him a call at some point.

Tenensse Titans CEO Tommy Smith said Wednesday that Jake Locker is 'absolutely' the team's starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season.

Locker missed the final seven games of 2013 after suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 10. The third-year quarterback is under contract through 2014 and has a team-option for $13 million in 2015. When healthy, Locker is a quality starter, and it will be interesting to see how much he progresses with Ken Wisenhunt now his head coach.

The NFL has suspended Washington Redskins free agent tight end Fred Davis indefinitely for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

This comes as a bit of a surprise after CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported in January that Davis had failed a marijuana test and would be subject to the a six-game suspension. Either way, this is the second time Davis has been suspended in his six-year career, which may not extend any further after this latest setback.

Speaking of Washington, don't expect to see backup quarterback Kirk cousins moved, as the team reportedly want a second-rond draft pick for him.

A former fourth-round pick out of Michigan State, Cousins has played in eight career games and completed 114-of-203 passes (56.2%) for 1,320 yards (6.50 avg) with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions (68.6 QB rating). Not exactly the numbers you'd like to see for guy your giving up that kind of compensation for.