Peterson agrees to return to Falcons

Mike Peterson Mike Peterson tweeted this morning that he had agreed to terms with the Falcons. Terms of his new deal were undisclosed. The retention of Peterson was up in the air with the Falcons agreeing to a five-year deal with fellow free agent linebacker Stephen Nicholas on Wednesday, but it appears that the Falcons have kept both of their linebackers. Peterson first joined the Falcons in 2009, and has served as a starter on the weakside the past two years. His production took a sharp decline from one year to the next, as he became a part-time player for the most part in 2010. His tackle totals went from 109 in 2009 to 57 in 2010. But despite the less playing time, Peterson still managed to have 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries, figures that matched or exceeded his totals in 2009 in those categories. It will be interesting if the Falcons shuffle their depth chart with Nicholas locked up long-term, and relegate Peterson to a reserve role, or keep...