Indianapolis Colts (1999-2002)
Originally selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round (36th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft, Peterson has played against all 32 NFL teams throughout his career, something not many NFL veterans can claim.
1999: As weakside linebacker, Peterson played in all 16 games his first season with 13 starts and ranked second on the team with 110 tackles (68 solo). Peterson added three sacks, one pass defended, one fumble recovery and 15 special teams stops on his way to being named to the Pro Football Writers of America, Pro Football Weekly, Football News and Football Digest All-Rookie team.
2000: Started all 16 games at right linebacker and contributed with a then-career-high 160 tackles (95 solo), two interceptions, three passes defensed and three special teams tackles.
2001: Started the first eight games of the season before suffering a knee injury in the eighth game. Finished fifth on the team in tackles with 85 (51 solo) while adding 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, four passes defensed and four quarterback pressures.
2002: Started all 16 games at outside linebacker in his final season with the Colts and finished with a team-leading 173 tackles (99 solo), three interceptions and seven passes defensed. Led the team in tackles in nine games and had at least 10 tackles in nine games.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2008)
On March 13, 2003, Peterson was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent, where he started at middle linebacker for the first time in his career. Peterson finished his six-season career with the Jaguars ranked second in team history with 837 tackles. Peterson’s Jaguars career highlights include:
2003: Led the team with 167 tackles (87 solo) and three interceptions.
2004: Recorded 12 tackles vs. Detroit (11/14), while contributing one sack, to break the Jaguars record for the most consecutive games leading the team in tackles (nine).
2005: Started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive season and produced career-best numbers with 190 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions. His tackle total that season ranked second among AFC linebackers and fourth among NFL linebackers.
2007: Set a career-high and led the team with 12 tackles against Atlanta (9/16) becoming the third player in team history to surpass 600 career tackles.
2008: Surpassed 1,300 career tackles against Cleveland (10/26) while marking his eighth season with 100-plus tackles
Atlanta Falcons (2009-present)
As a free agent, Peterson signed with the Atlanta Falcons on March 10, 2009. Falcons highlights include:
2009: Played and started in all 16 games while recording his 6th career 100 tackle seasons with 109
2010: Peterson led a Falcons defense that finished the season 13-3 marking the team’s second highest win total in franchise history. Additionally, the Falcons won their first NFC South title since 2004, the fourth in team history, and clinched the top seed in the 2010 NFC Playoffs.
| Career Stats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | TEAM | G | TOT | SOLO | AST | PD | SACK | FF | REC | INT | YDS | TD |
| 1999 | IND | 16 | 96 | 71 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | IND | 16 | 159 | 102 | 57 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| 2001 | IND | 9 | 65 | 46 | 19 | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| 2002 | IND | 16 | 137 | 104 | 33 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 0 |
| 2003 | JAC | 16 | 100 | 71 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 2004 | JAC | 16 | 126 | 93 | 33 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | JAC | 16 | 131 | 94 | 37 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 1 |
| 2006 | JAC | 5 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| 2007 | JAC | 10 | 70 | 60 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 2008 | JAC | 15 | 84 | 70 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | ATL | 16 | 109 | 82 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 0 |
| 2010 | ATL | 16 | 50 | 40 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Career | 167 | 1159 | 855 | 313 | 52 | 21.5 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 268 | 1 | |