The Brees & Payton Era- Franchise Legend
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- Saints Hall of Fame
Marques Colston
- Position
- WRWide Receiver
- Number
- #12
- Saints years
- 2006–2015
- Era
- The Brees & Payton Era
- Franchise
- New Orleans Saints
Honors
- Super Bowl XLIV Champion
- New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
- Saints record holder: receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns
Why he’s a legend
The legacy
Marques Colston was a seventh-round pick out of Hofstra whom the Saints took 252nd overall in 2006, the same offseason Drew Brees and Sean Payton arrived. He caught 70 passes as a rookie and never stopped, finishing his ten-year career as the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — all three still standing. He never made a Pro Bowl, which says more about how the position was voted on than about him.
Why he matters
- Saints all-time leader in receptions (711), receiving yards (9,759) and receiving touchdowns (72).
- Six 1,000-yard seasons, the most in franchise history.
- A Super Bowl XLIV champion and the primary target on the highest-scoring offense the franchise has fielded.
- The most productive seventh-round pick in modern NFL history, drafted 252nd of 255 selections.
- Ten seasons with one team in the free-agency era, all of them with the same quarterback.
Defining moment
Mr. Seventh Round
2006 season
Colston caught 70 passes for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2006 — a season in which the Superdome reopened and the Saints went to the NFC Championship Game — after being the 252nd player chosen in a draft with 255 picks.
Career statistics
Current through the 2015 season
With the Saints
- Receptions
- 711
- Receiving Yards
- 9,759
- Receiving Touchdowns
- 72
- Yards per Reception
- 13.7
- Seasons
- 10
Where he ranks
- #1All-Time Saints Receptions711Saints all-time
- #1All-Time Saints Receiving Yards9,759Saints all-time
- #1All-Time Saints Receiving Touchdowns72Saints all-time
Career production
Receiving yards by season
How long did he stay a primary target?
Marques Colston: receiving yards in each of 10 seasons, from 520 to 1,202. The table below carries every value.
View the 10 rows behind this chart
| Season | Team | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | New Orleans | 70 | 1,038 | 8 |
| 2007 | New Orleans | 98 | 1,202 | 11 |
| 2008 | New Orleans | 47 | 760 | 5 |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 70 | 1,074 | 9 |
| 2010 | New Orleans | 84 | 1,023 | 7 |
| 2011 | New Orleans | 80 | 1,143 | 8 |
| 2012 | New Orleans | 83 | 1,154 | 10 |
| 2013 | New Orleans | 75 | 943 | 5 |
| 2014 | New Orleans | 59 | 902 | 5 |
| 2015 | New Orleans | 45 | 520 | 4 |
Season by season
| 2006 | 14 | 70 | 1,038 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 16 | 98 | 1,202 | 11 |
| 2008 | 11 | 47 | 760 | 5 |
| 2009 | 16 | 70 | 1,074 | 9 |
| 2010 | 16 | 84 | 1,023 | 7 |
| 2011 | 16 | 80 | 1,143 | 8 |
| 2012 | 16 | 83 | 1,154 | 10 |
| 2013 | 16 | 75 | 943 | 5 |
| 2014 | 16 | 59 | 902 | 5 |
| 2015 | 16 | 45 | 520 | 4 |
| Career | 153 | 711 | 9,759 | 72 |
Best seasons
Best season
2007 — Marques Colston
98 receptions, 1,202 yards, 11 touchdowns
- Career highs in catches and touchdowns
- Second season in the league
- Led the team in every receiving category
His statistical peak came in his second year, before the offense had Jimmy Graham or a healthy Reggie Bush to split targets with. It is the season that established him as the primary receiver rather than a rookie surprise.
Best season
2012 — Marques Colston
83 receptions, 1,154 yards, 10 touchdowns
- Fifth 1,000-yard season
- Saints set the NFL single-season record for total offense
- Second double-digit touchdown year
The Saints threw for more yards in 2012 than any team in league history to that point, and Colston was still the receiver they went to inside the twenty.
Honors & accolades
Championships & enshrinement
- Super Bowl XLIV Champion2009 season
- New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
Selections & records
- Saints record holder: receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns
Career timeline
10 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them in New Orleans.
- 2006New Orleans Saints14 gamesDrafted 252nd overall out of Hofstra
- 2007New Orleans Saints16 gamesCareer-high 98 receptions
- 2008New Orleans Saints11 games
- 2009New Orleans Saints16 gamesSuper Bowl XLIV ChampionSuper Bowl XLIV Champion
- 2010New Orleans Saints16 games
- 2011New Orleans Saints16 games
- 2012New Orleans Saints16 gamesPasses Eric Martin as the franchise’s all-time receiving leader
- 2013New Orleans Saints16 games
- 2014New Orleans Saints16 games
- 2015New Orleans Saints16 gamesFinal season; leaves holding all three franchise receiving records
Era context
What the league looked like while Marques Colston played it. Raw totals across eras are not like-for-like.
The Brees & Payton Era
2006–2020
A quarterback nobody else wanted, a coach nobody had hired, and a Super Bowl.
- The most pass-friendly rules environment in NFL history to that point; raw passing totals from these years dwarf every earlier era.
- Sixteen-game seasons throughout, with a 12-team playoff field from 2020.
- The franchise won seven division titles in this span, including four consecutive from 2017 to 2020.
Data & sources
Statistics on this profile are current through the 2015 season.
- The ten season rows below add to the three franchise records exactly: 711 receptions, 9,759 yards and 72 touchdowns.
