The Green Bay Packers have signed LB Whitney Mercilus. The transaction was announced Thursday by General Manager Brian Gutekunst.
Mercilus (MER-sih-liss), a 6-4, 261-pound, 10th-year player out of the University of Illinois, was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He finished his career with the Texans (2012-21) ranked No. 2 in franchise history in sacks (57.0) and as the club's all-time postseason sack leader (seven), which also ranks No. 2 in the NFL since 2015. In 2016, Mercilus earned second-team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press. He registered four-plus sacks in eight seasons from 2012-20 and has three sacks in six games played (two starts) so far in 2021.
Overall, Mercilus played in 134 regular-season games with 102 starts for the Texans, recording 348 tackles (229 solo), 72 tackles for a loss, 115 QB hits, 13 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, seven passes defensed and two interceptions. He appeared in eight postseason contests with five starts, posting 40 tackles (15 solo), 13 QB hits, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. He will wear No. 50 for the Packers.
LB Tipa Galeai (tee-puh nah-lee-eye), who is on the team's practice squad, will now wear No. 40 for the Packers.
