Marques Colston
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Marques E. Colston ( born June 5, 1983) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...
, and was drafted by the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
in the seventh round of the
2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. He helped the Saints achieve victory in
Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
with seven receptions for 83 yards against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. He is the Saints' all-time franchise leader in receiving yards, yards from scrimmage, receiving touchdowns, total touchdowns, and total receptions. Despite favorable statistics compared to other
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
or
All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...
players in the same position like
Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...
and
Reggie Wayne Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...
, Colston was never selected for either in his career.


Early years

Colston attended
Susquehanna Township High School Susquehanna Township High School (STHS) is a mid-sized, public high school located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania serving students from Susquehanna Township. The school provides grades 9 through 12. In the 2017–18 school year, the school had 788 p ...
, in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
and was a letterman in
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and track. In football, he won All-Conference honors as a wide receiver and defensive end. Colston graduated from Susquehanna Township High School in June 2001. Colston lettered three years in
track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
and was a standout. He qualified for the 2001
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The PIAA's main ...
(PIAA) Outdoor T&F Championships in the
javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
, recording a top-throw of 57.03 meters. He was also a member of the Susquehanna 4 × 100 m (42.41 s) relay squad.


College career

Colston received a scholarship offer from the
Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
but turned the offer down in favor of
Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
Hofstra Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...
. Colston had 14 receptions for 335 yards (23.9 avg.) and three touchdowns as a freshman. In 2002, he made 47 grabs for 614 yards (13.06 avg.) and three scores. As a junior in 2003, Colston led the team with 51 receptions for 910 yards (17.8 average) and seven touchdowns. Colston
redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
the 2004 season due to a shoulder injury, but in 2005 was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First-team after making a career-high 70 receptions for 976 yards (13.9 avg.) and five touchdowns. In four seasons at Hofstra, Colston appeared in 40 games (37 starts) and recorded 182 catches for a school-record 2,834 yards and 18 touchdowns.


Professional career

Colston declared for the 2006 NFL Draft. He was tipped in many prospect profiles to become a
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
, because of his size and catching ability, but was also predicted to go undrafted. The New Orleans Saints selected Colston in the seventh round with the 252nd overall pick in the
2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. Colston was the 32nd wide receiver drafted in 2006. He was the seventh player ever drafted out of Hofstra. With Hofstra discontinuing their football program in 2009, Colston became their last player to be drafted from the program.


2006 season

On July 14, 2006, the New Orleans Saints signed Colston to a three-year, $1.10 million contract that includes a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $24,600. Throughout training camp, Colston competed to be the third wide receiver on the depth chart against
Devery Henderson Devery Vaughn Henderson Jr. (born March 26, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver who spent 9 seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). The Louisiana-born Henderson played for Louisiana State Univer ...
,
Lance Moore Lance Andrew Moore (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played over ten seasons professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Toledo. He was signed by the Cleveland Brown ...
, and Terrance Copper. After performing well throughout training camp, head coach
Sean Payton Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...
elected to trade starting wide receiver Donte Stallworth, stating Colston's progress made Stallworth expendable. He made his professional regular season debut in the New Orleans Saints' season-opener at the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
and made four receptions for 49 yards and scored his first career touchdown. He made his first career touchdown reception on a 12-yard pass by quarterback
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
during the third quarter. In Week 3, in a game on the road against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Colston recorded an 86-yard receiving touchdown in the 21–18 loss. The reception was the longest receiving play for the Saints since
Eddie Kennison Eddie Joseph Kennison, III (born January 20, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana State University and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Kennison ...
had a 90-yard play in 1999. On October 29, Colston caught six passes for 163 receiving yards and had a season-high two touchdown receptions during a 35–22 loss against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in Week 8. He was named the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 8. He was named the Offensive Rookie of the Month for October. The following week, Colston made a season-high 11 receptions for 123 receiving yards and one touchdown during the Saints' 31–14 victory at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
in Week 9. Once again, he earned Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for Week 9. In Week 10, Colston recorded 10 catches for a season-high 169 receiving yards during a 38–31 loss at the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. His performance marked his third consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards. Colston sprained his left ankle during a Week 11 loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
and missed the next two games. Colston finished his rookie season with 70 receptions, 1,038 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in 14 games and 12 starts. He helped the Saints reach the playoffs with a 10–6 record. The Saints earned a first-round bye with the #2-seed. The Saints defeated the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
in the Divisional Round and made it to the
NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
with the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. Despite Colston scoring a touchdown, the Saints fell 39–14, ending the team's season. Colston earned a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team for his immediate contributions. He tied for second in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year, behind
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
' quarterback
Vince Young Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...
, and with
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
' running back
Maurice Jones-Drew Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew (born March 23, 1985), often called "MJD", is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and earned unan ...
. He had more votes than his fellow rookie teammate, the much more celebrated
Reggie Bush Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. (born March 2, 1985) is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twi ...
, who was picked second overall by the Saints. Colston was among the
NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...
leaders in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,038) and receiving touchdowns (8).


2007 season

Against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
on October 28, 2007, Colston caught a career-high three touchdown passes from
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
and guided the Saints to a 31–10 victory in Week 8. He followed up his three-touchdown performance with three consecutive games going over 100 receiving yards (159, 128, 118). From Weeks 14–17, he recorded five receiving touchdowns in a four-game stretch. For the 2007 season, Colston recorded 1,202 receiving yards and set a team record for receptions with 98, besting the previous mark of 94 set by
Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...
in 2000 and 2004. He would hold on to this record until 2011, when Jimmy Graham broke the mark. Colston tied Horn's record for touchdown receptions in a season with 11. Colston would share this mark until 2013, when it was also bested by Graham.


2008 season

On July 23, 2008, Colston signed a three-year contract extension with the Saints through the 2011 season. In 2008, Colston suffered a broken thumb after a hit by
Ronde Barber Jamael Orondé "Rondé" Barber (born April 7, 1975) is an American former football cornerback who spent his entire 16-year professional career playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He is the identical twin ...
on a quick slant pass in the Saints' Week 1 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
. This sidelined Colston for four weeks and
Lance Moore Lance Andrew Moore (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played over ten seasons professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Toledo. He was signed by the Cleveland Brown ...
moved up into the starting receiver position. In Week 10, he recorded a season-high 140 receiving yards on seven receptions against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. A few weeks later, he recorded a 70-yard touchdown catch against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
as the Saints won the game 51–29 in Week 12. In Week 16, against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, he recorded his only multi-touchdown game of the season in the 42–7 victory. Colston finished the season with 47 receptions for 760 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.


2009 season – Super Bowl XLIV

Colston found the endzone twice in Week 2 against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
in the 48–22 victory. During a Week 6 game against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
in a battle of undefeated teams, Colston caught eight receptions for 166 yards, as the Saints defeated the Giants 48–27. Overall, Colston finished the 2009 regular season with 70 receptions for 1,074 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. The Saints finished with a 13–3 record and earned the #1-seed for the NFC playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, Colston had six receptions for 83 receiving yards and his first postseason touchdown in the 45–14 victory. Colston started for the Saints in
Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
. He contributed to the Saints' 31–17 victory with seven receptions for 83 yards against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.


2010 season

Colston remained a consistent producer for the Saints in the 2010 season. In Week 13, against the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, he scored the late go-ahead touchdown with 31 seconds remaining in the 34–30 victory. He recorded three games going over 100 receiving yards and two games with multiple receiving touchdowns. Overall, Colston finished the 2010 season with 84 receptions for 1,023 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 15 games played. The Saints returned to the playoffs but failed to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, falling in the Wild Card Round to
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
in the Beast Quake game. In the 41–36 loss, Colston had four receptions for 66 yards. He was ranked 53rd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 The NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 was the first season of the series. It ended with reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the Nati ...
.


2011 season

Colston continued in his role as a receiving threat for Drew Brees in the 2011 season. He recorded four games going over 100 receiving yards and three games with multiple receiving touchdowns. In the regular season finale in Week 17, he recorded seven receptions for 145 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 45–17 victory over the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. Overall, Colston finished the 2011 season with 80 receptions for 1,143 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 14 games as the Saints won the division with a 13–3 record. Colston set a new franchise record for most 1,000-yard seasons with his fifth, breaking a tie with Joe Horn. Colston, along with Jimmy Graham, gave the Saints their first duo with at least 1,000 receiving yards since Willie Jackson and Joe Horn in 2001. In the Saints' two postseason games, Colston recorded seven receptions for 120 receiving yards in the 45–28 Wild Card Round victory over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
and nine receptions for 136 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 36–32 loss to the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in the Divisional Round.


2012 season

On March 13, 2012, Colston signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with the Saints. In Week 4, against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Colston recorded nine receptions for 153 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in a 28–27 loss . On October 7, in Week 5 against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, Colston broke
Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...
's record for most touchdown catches by a Saints wide receiver, catching three touchdowns in the game to make 52 for his career. On November 11, in Week 10 against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, he tied Deuce McAllister's team record for total touchdowns with his 55th career touchdown. He matched his season-high yardage total of 153 in Week 16 against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
in the 34–31 victory. Overall, he finished the 2012 season with 83 receptions for 1,154 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns. Colston, along with Jimmy Graham (982) and Lance Moore (1,041), gave the Saints their first trio of receivers in franchise history to record at least 900 receiving yards each.


2013 season

In the opening game of the 2013 season, a 23–17 win over
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, Colston became the Saints' all-time leader in pass receptions when he caught a second quarter touchdown pass for the 533rd catch (and 59th touchdown) of his career. In the Saints' tenth game of the season, a 23–20 home win over
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Colston passed Eric Martin to become the all-time franchise leader in receiving yards and yards from scrimmage. In Week 14, he had his most productive game of the regular season with nine receptions for 125 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. Colston finished the regular season with 75 receptions for 943 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. In the Saints' Divisional Round playoff game against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, Colston led all receivers with 11 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, the touchdown coming with 26 seconds remaining in the game to bring the Saints, who had trailed the entire game, within eight points; he then recovered the ensuing onside kick, giving the Saints a slim chance to tie the game. On the ensuing drive, Brees spiked the ball to stop the clock, then found Colston near the sideline. Instead of stepping out of bounds to stop the clock and give the Saints a chance at a last-second
Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
to the end zone, Colston went ahead with the play as it had been called, which required him to throw a
lateral pass In gridiron football, a lateral pass or lateral (officially backward pass in American football and onside pass in Canadian football) occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to a teammate in a direction parallel to or away from the oppon ...
across the field to
Travaris Cadet Travaris Terrell Cadet (born February 1, 1990) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at Appalachian State. He also played for the New ...
. However, Colston's throw went forward and was ruled an illegal forward pass; the 10-second runoff attached to the penalty used up the clock, sealing a 23–15 victory for the Seahawks.


2014 season

Colston recorded two games going over the 100-yard mark in the 2014 season, first in the Saints' regular season opener against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
and later in Week 7 against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Overall, Colston recorded 59 receptions for 902 yards and five touchdowns as the Saints missed the playoffs with a 7–9 record.


2015 season

In 2015, Colston caught 45 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns, all career-lows. Part of his statistical decline was due to the emergence of
Brandin Cooks Brandin Tawan Cooks (born September 25, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon State, where he received consensus All-American honors, a ...
and
Willie Snead Willie Lee Snead IV (born October 17, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and has been a member o ...
as receiving options for Brees to go along with shoulder and chest injuries causing him to miss three games. He was released by the Saints after the season. At the time of Colston's release, he and Brees were the most productive wide receiver-quarterback tandem in terms of passing yards and receiving yards over the decade-long period of 2006–2015, which encompassed Colston's career. Only Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, a tight end, had more receiving touchdowns in that time span as a duo. Colston never did sign with another NFL team. He never released a formal retirement announcement but did acknowledge his retirement in 2020. At the time of Drew Brees's retirement, Colston ended up being the player that he threw the most touchdowns to with 72.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


New Orleans Saints franchise records

* Most career receptions (711) * Most career receiving yards (9,759) * Most yards from scrimmage (9,766) * Highest receiving average, career (13.7) * Most career receiving touchdowns (72) * Most total touchdowns (72) * Most seasons with 1,000 receiving yards (6) * Most games with 100 or more yards receiving (28) * Most games played by a wide receiver (146)


Personal life

Colston's father, James, played in the Canadian Football League. James Colston died when Marques was 14. In 2010, Colston bought a home in
Luling, Louisiana Luling is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. The population was 11,512 at the 2000 census and 12,119 at the 2010 census. At the 2020 census, 13,716 people lived in Luling. Geography Luling is located at (29.91326 ...
. Colston was the majority owner of his hometown
Harrisburg Stampede The Harrisburg Stampede were a professional indoor football team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Stampede participated in several different leagues over their history: the American Indoor Football Association in 2009 and 2010, the Southern ...
who played in
American Indoor Football American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...
and the
Professional Indoor Football League The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor Foo ...
. In 2014, he bought a share of the
Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...
of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. Colston has pursued an executive
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
program at
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...
, and he has made a series of investments in
startup companies A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...
operating in the health and sports sectors. In 2017, Colston was involved with the ownership group of the Albany Empire of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. He later became involved with the ownership of the
Atlantic City Blackjacks The Atlantic City Blackjacks were a professional arena football team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2019. History Home games were played at Boardwalk Hall. The team was operated by Trifecta ...
. Colston is involved with Son of a Saint, which is a New Orleans-based charitable organization that tries to improve the lives of fatherless boys. He is the ambassador for the program, which involves sessions that go over various life-skill topics. On October 27, 2019, Colston was inducted into The New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame alongside Reggie Bush. Colston delivered the keynote speech to graduates at the December 2019 commencement for the University of New Orleans. The school later hired Colston as an adjunct professor in 2020. On September 17, 2020, Colston was named as an inductee to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame for the Class of 2021.


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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colston, Marques 1983 births Living people American football wide receivers Arena Football League executives Hofstra Pride football players New Orleans Saints players People from Luling, Louisiana Players of American football from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Ed Block Courage Award recipients