Veteran outside linebacker John Abraham will return to the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday after spending the past week away from the team contemplating retirement, coach Bruce Arians announced.

Abraham, the NFL’s active sacks leader with 133½, needed some time to assess his career after suffering a concussion in Arizona’s season-opening victory against the San Diego Chargers.

”He’s excited about it. He’s at the neurologist right now to make sure he can pass the test and be back and ready to go, ” Arians said.

Abraham talked to a couple of teammates on Saturday and texted back and forth with Arians for the past three days. But it was on Monday, about 30 minutes before Arians met with reporters at the team’s Tempe, Ariz., training facility, that Abraham made his decision to come back.

”I asked him, ’Do you want me to announce it at the press conference? ’ And he said, ’Yes, that would be great, ’ ” Arians said. ”He’s ready to play.

”I knew a lot of it had to deal with the headaches. It’s the first real big one he’s ever had. There were other things that he was dealing with, and he’s fine with those. ”

Arians said Abraham would immediately be re-inserted into one of the starting spots at outside linebacker. Sam Acho replaced Abraham in Sunday’s 25-14 victory at the Giants and made an interception.