Mercilus appeared in 134 games for the Texans, which is the third most in franchise history. He has 348 tackles in his career and ranks second in franchise history behind J.J. Watt with 57 sacks.
“There aren’t many players in franchise history who have impacted our organization and community the way Whitney Mercilus has,” Texans' owner Cal McNair said.
The 31-year-old appeared in six games this season with two starts for the Texans, who have won just one game. He has three sacks and four tackles for losses.
Houston coach David Culley said Wednesday that releasing Mercilus was a mutual decision and that the performance of some young players on the team factored into the move.