Linebacker Julian Peterson had a game-high nine tackles last week against the Giants and said he has almost returned to the level at which he was playing before he tore his Achilles' tendon last year. "I'm not there right now, but I'm a lot closer than I was a month ago," he said. "I've got a lot more spring in my legs, and that's the important thing." Peterson is making $7.3 million this season and, for the third year in a row, will become a free agent at season's end. The 49ers could give him the franchise tag again, boosting his salary another 20 percent, but Peterson said he was ready to come to a long-term agreement. "Am I going to make this my home or not?" he asked. "The last few years, it's been like, What's going to happen? I'm just waiting patiently."