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Four-year veteran offensive lineman Scott Kooistra, who would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in less than two months, has signed a three-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, a deal that will keep him with the team through the 2009 season.

	Kooistra

Financial details of the contract were not immediately available.

The retention of Kooistra, who joined the Bengals as a seventh-round pick in the 2003 draft, provides security and a veteran for a Cincinnati team likely to undergo some offseason alterations on the offensive line.

Veteran center Rich Braham announced his retirement before the final game of the 2006 season. Standout left guard Eric Steinbach, arguably one of the top young interior blockers in the league, will be an unrestricted free agent.

There has been considerable speculation that the Bengals, who last year signed left tackle Levi Jones, right guard Bobbie Williams and right tackle Willie Anderson to pricy contract extensions, will not be able to invest the kind of money it might take to keep Steinbach around.

If Steinbach departs, youngster Andrew Whitworth, who started at left tackle during much of his 2006 rookie campaign, will probably move to left guard. That could make the versatile Kooistra the No. 1 backup at left tackle and also left guard.

Kooistra, 26, said he thought about testing the free agent market, but finally decided it was in his best interest to remain with the Bengals, and continue to play in a system he knows well.

"It might have been a risk [to sign elsewhere]," Kooistra said. "They know me here and I feel comfortable working in this system. When they came with an offer, I thought it was a pretty good deal."

A former North Carolina State standout, Kooistra has appeared in 54 games and started one. He played in a career-high 15 games in 2006.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here .