Just under a couple weeks ago, the talk around the Green Bay Packers organization was whether or not Andrew Quarless could step up at the tight end position in 2015. He was very vocal this offseason about wanting to be among the best tight ends in the NFL, but all of those hopes could very well be over. According to reports, Andrew Quarless was arrested after firing a gun into the ground following an argument.
Those are exactly the type of situations that the NFL will suspend harshly for, and the Packers need to rid themselves of Quarless.
Needless to say, this is a very unfortunate piece of news for the Packers and their organization. Aaron Rodgers had said some very nice things about Quarless earlier this year about noticing improvement, and it’s always tough to see a player with the type of talent that Quarless has throw it all away. It isn’t likely that Quarless has played his last NFL game, but Green Bay has always taken these types of things very seriously and don’t put up with much off-the-field distraction.
During the 2014 season with the Packers, Quarless struggled to live up to the expectations that were set for him. He ended up catching just 29 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
At 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds, Quarless is a very dominating target for opposing defenders to go up against. He is very quick and athletic for a player with his size, and is capable of making tough catches in clutch situations. Green Bay isn’t very deep at the tight end position, but they do have Richard Rodgers who is more than capable of stepping up and starting in his second NFL season.
Quite simply, Green Bay has had one of the more mature locker rooms in the NFL over the past few seasons. They have remained fairly distraction free, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that they shy away from the immature players that make the type of mistake that Quarless made last night.
As disappointing and hard as it may be, this is not the time to start taking it easy on players who mess up off-the-field. Quarless has to be held accountable for his action, and the Packers cannot afford to sit around and hope that he learns from this mistake. The fact that he would allow his poor judgement to make this big of a mistake is a major concern.
It will be interesting to see what the Packers decide to do about this situation. Quarless deserves harsh punishment from the league, but Green Bay will have to make the final decision about his future with the franchise. Don’t be surprised to see them end up taking swift action and letting him walk away.
