In the 1999 AFL season, Mercuri was one of the premier players of the competition,[1] finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal, and earning a lucrative and rarely heard-of 5-year contract.
Mercuri played his 200th AFL game in round three, 2004 against West Coast in the match best known for James Hird's match-winning goal which broke a 131–all deadlock with less than a minute remaining.
[2] He retired following Essendon's 10-point semi-final defeat to Geelong at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In 2005, there was talk of a comeback, with Mercuri contemplating nominating for the pre-season draft.
In 2006 he played for Airport West in the Essendon District Football League.