ATLANTA -- The announcement likely won't come until next week, but the Atlanta Falcons have reached a contract agreement in principle with unrestricted free agent linebacker John Holecek, a six-year veteran who should aid the team's transition to a 3-4 defensive front.

	Holecek

Details of the agreement were not yet available. It is believed that Holecek chose the Falcons over the expansion Houston Texans, another club that will deploy in the 3-4 alignment.

Holecek, 29, played for Wade Phillips when the Falcons' new defensive coordinator was the head coach in Buffalo and becomes the second former Bills starter to move to Atlanta in free agency. The team earlier signed safety Keion Carpenter, a three-year veteran.

If healthy, it's likely that Holecek will contend for the second starting inside linebacker job, next to Keith Brooking. It is a position he knows well, having once teamed with Sam Cowart during his stint with the Bills to provide Buffalo one of the NFL's best young inside tandems. Clearly, the addition of Holecek was made in part because of his familiarity with the new scheme.

The six-year veteran was released by the Bills last summer after he declined to restructure his contract for a second time in the offseason. He signed a one-year contract with San Diego, but a knee injury limited him to just 11 appearances and nine tackles for the Chargers, and he finished the season on injured reserve.

Over a three-year period, 1998-2000, Holecek averaged 14.3 starts for the Bills and 83.7 tackles in that span. His best season was in 2000, when he posted 110 tackles.

The former Illinois standout was chosen by the Bills as a fifth-round pick in the 1995 draft. He worked his way into the starting lineup midway through his second season and remained there until his release.

Holecek has appeared in 69 games and started 51 of them. He has 323 tackles, 2½ sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and 18 passes defensed.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.