The Cincinnati Bengals tagged Graham as their franchise player on Monday, Feb. 16, clearing a path for Houshmandzadeh to bolt when the NFL's Free Agency period begins Feb. 27.

The franchise tag gives Graham the option of signing with the Bengals for a one-year salary equal to the average of the five highest-paid kickers in the NFL last season.

This year's price for a franchise kicker is $2.483 million, while the price for a franchise wide receiver is $9.884 million. The Bengals save $7.401 million by choosing Graham over Houshmandzadeh.

"Shayne has consistently performed at a high level for us, and we expect that same performance in 2009 and hopefully beyond," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "We'll continue to speak with Shayne and his representatives about signing a longer-term deal."

Graham, a ninth-year NFL veteran who joined the Bengals in 2003, ranks fourth in NFL history in field goal accuracy (85.6 percent). His career accuracy with the Bengals (87.5 percent) is a franchise record.

Graham, who attended a charity event in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, issued the following statement:

"I appreciate the Bengals recognition of my value to the team," Graham said. "I would have preferred to enter a longterm, market-value contract either with the Bengals or through Free Agency."