The Houston Texans released punter Shane Lechler on Friday, the team announced.
#ThankYouShane pic.twitter.com/Cj7B9y7siY
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 31, 2018
Lechler, 42, is a seven-time Pro Bowler with six All-Pro honors. He was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien was complimentary of the veteran's accomplishments while announcing that undrafted rookie Trevor Daniel won the team's punting job to start the season.
"Shane Lechler, in my opinion, is a Hall of Fame punter. He's a guy that has meant a lot to us here and he really has competed at a high level, and Trevor's a good young punter," O'Brien said, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.
Lechler said Thursday that he has no plans to retire if he were to be released, according to Barshop.
"I've invested a lot of time," Lechler said. "If I was going to retire, I would have done it before the end of offseason workouts. I'm dug in. I'm going to play as long as I can. I still have something left in the tank."
