Source: Carter returns to Falcons on 2-year deal

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Lorenzo Carter is coming back to the franchise and is expected to sign a two-year deal with the club after being their most productive player at the position last season, a source confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

Carter had 58 tackles, four sacks, an interception and two passes defended last season — his first with the Falcons after four years with the New York Giants, where he was a starter for two seasons.

Carter started every game in 2022 and became the Falcons’ most critical edge rusher. He was second on the team in sacks and also had a key role as an edge setter against the run.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith acknowledged in December that Carter was asked to take on a different role than he had previously played, and they were pleased with what he had been able to do.

“I feel like I got better,” Carter told ESPN in January. “I feel like I definitely got better.”

Carter said he felt it was a smooth transition going from New York to Atlanta and he didn’t think the roles were that much different.

Carter said in January he wasn’t thinking about free agency and was “waiting to see what’s next” in terms of his future.

Now he gets to stay home for the next couple of seasons. Carter, 27, played at the University of Georgia and played high school football in Georgia.

Carter is the first player Atlanta has re-signed this offseason who was not an exclusive rights free agent or a player off its practice squad. He’ll return to a team with a young core at the edge rusher position, alongside Arnold Ebiketie, DeAngelo Malone and Ade Ogundeji, all Falcons draft picks on their rookie contracts.

NFL Network first reported Carter’s intention to re-sign.