Wide receiver Marques Colston is the Saints’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, but that didn’t stop the Saints from asking him to slash his salary this offseason.
Colston accepted and explained his reasons when he spoke to the media for the first time this offseason on Tuesday. Colston said that “maximizing every penny” wasn’t his chief priority at this point in his career and that it was more important for him to remain in the Saints offense with Drew Brees throwing passes his way.
“I look at things just from a business standpoint. You look at the position I play, I’m kind of dependent on everyone else along the offense to have success,” Colston said, via ESPN.com. “And just being a football fan, I’ve seen guys at my position chase every penny and not really have the career or the success that they’ve been accustomed to. So I always say I’m never gonna be in a hurry to leave a Hall of Fame quarterback. I’ve really never been a person that is driven by outside forces. I’m going to make the decision that’s best for me and my family. And time and time again it leads me to here.”
It probably doesn’t hurt that Colston’s role in the offense could grow this season with Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills now plying their trade elsewhere. That helps explain why the team has dialed back Colston’s workload in practice this offseason, something that the veteran says he’s fine with because of the nagging injuries that have bothered him in recent years and because it will give younger receivers more chances to acclimate themselves in the offense.