The contract is valued around $40 million and includes $19 million in guarantees, according to an NFL source. Colston was a key free agent the Saints couldn’t afford to enter free agency.
Colston stated after signing:
“This was important to me, to be back with this team in this situation,” Colston said in a statement released by the Saints. “I was not looking to chase free agency; it was more important for me to be back in our program, a program we have been building and a program I believe in. The Saints have been loyal to me from the beginning and I want to thank my agent Joel Segal and Saints GM Mickey Loomis for getting this deal done before free agency. Now it is time to get back to work and win some more rings.”
OK, so I was wrong. The New Orleans Saints signed star receiver Marques Colston to a five-year contract extension worth up to $40 million, as per Jay Glazer of FOX sports.
The organization had to act fast to prevent Colston from hitting the free-agency market, avoiding any bidding wars for the receiver. That’s one unrestricted free agent taken care of. What will happen to the other 13?
The terms of the contract may hinder the Saints’ chance of re-signing a lot of key players or from doing much in free agency. Being the Saints don’t have much room in cap space to begin with, they will have no choice but to let go of some of those said players. Robert Meachem, Tracy Porter and Carl Nicks, to name a few, are among those on the list.
Main Concern
Drew Brees. He is not happy. The Saints need to concentrate on how to sign Brees to a long-term contract, because Brees will not be signing the franchise tag that was placed on him, as reported by Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
What’s Next for the Saints
If the Saints and Brees can come to an agreement, the team won’t have many problems on offense except for re-signing guard Carl Nicks. We have yet to see what kind of “respectable” offer was offered to Carl Nicks and whether or not he will accept, but aside from the potential loss of Nicks, the Saints’ other main concern is their defense. It is flawed, to say the least. And those flaws were exposed in their playoff loss to the 49ers.
The Saints’ defense ranked 23rd in the NFL last season. New Orleans needs to work on their pass-rush; Spagnuolo will want to generate more pressure with his front four than with complex blitz packages. The team may also lose one or both defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin, as well as linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar.
Look for the Saints to try to pick up a defensive end and a tackle in the market. Maybe John Abraham or Andre Carter as situational pass-rushers? The Saints may address their linebacker needs in the draft or stick with their young players if contracts aren’t restructured or veterans aren’t cut.
The Saints also have a problem defending the pass, giving up almost 270 yards per game through the air. It could be due to the lack of a pass-rush or relying on blitzes too often, but it could also be the secondary and their tackling issues. Tracy Porter may be a goner, so the Saints will have to look into picking up a DB.
The Inevitable
Although the organization has given no indication that they will be releasing experienced players, it is still inevitable. Again, the team doesn’t have much cap space and may want to get rid of some of their veterans to create cap room. Linebackers Jonathan Vilma, Will Herring and Scott Shanle may be shown the door.
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Drew Brees won’t have to worry about one of his top targets, Marques Colston, testing the free-agent waters. Colston said Tuesday he had little desire to do so, after the New Orleans Saints announced he signed a five-year contract extension a couple of hours before he would…
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Union wanted to speak with specific people involved
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Marques Colston: “Somebody that looks like he’ll be moving on from N.O. … Colston looks like he will not return.”
Evan Silva, on March 6th
Twitter
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WR Marques Colston on his new five-year deal:“This was important to me, to be back with this team in this situation. I was not looking to chase free agency; it was more important for me to be back in our program, a program we have been building and a program I believe in. The Saints have been loyal to me from the beginning.”
Read more of this Saints News post via New Orleans Saints RapidReports
GM Mickey Loomis on WR Marques Colston: “Since we drafted Marques in 2006, he’s been everything that we are looking for in a New Orleans Saint as a player and a person. … Credit goes to Marques for wanting to get this deal done before free agency started. He’s been a major part of our success and we’re excited that he will continue to be an integral part of our team for years to come.”
Read more of this Saints News post via New Orleans Saints RapidReports
The Saints kept a big-time piece to the free-agent puzzle as WR Marques Colston agreed to a five-year contract to stay in New Orleans, a league source told CBSSports.com. Fox Sports first broke the signing and reported Monday night that the deal could be around $7.5 million per season. The market would have likely been plentiful for Colston if he hit free agency.
Read more of this Saints News post via New Orleans Saints RapidReports
The New Orleans Saints have resigned wide receiver Marques Colston. According to a report by ESPN Colston signed a 5-year deal worth about $40 million with $19 million guaranteed. This is big news for the New Orleans Saints and a great highlight in spite of the bounty scandal. Colston has been the Saints’ best receiver for the past few seasons and has caught for over 1,000 yards in five of his six seasons with the Saints. The resigning of Colston definitely helps to solidify the Saints receiving corps. It is great that the Saints were able to resign their best wide receiver, which, along with tight end Jimmy Graham, helped the Saints have a historic season offensively.
I have to admit that I really thought the Saints were not going to be able to resign Colston and they were going to let him walk out of the door. However, I will be the first to say that it was a great move by the organization because I believe that Colston is an elite receiver in the NFL. Colston had this to say in a statement released by the Saints:
“This was important to me, to be back with this team in this situation,” Colston said in a statement released by the team. “I was not looking to chase free agency; it was more important for me to be back in our program, a program we have been building and a program I believe in. The Saints have been loyal to me from the beginning and I want to thank my agent Joel Segal and Saints GM Mickey Loomis for getting this deal done before free agency. Now it is time to get back to work and win some more rings.”
The resigning of Colston is a win-win situation for both Colston and the Saints. The Saints made a last ditch effort to get the deal done and have now locked up their star receiver for the next 5 years. With all the turmoil the Saints have faced these past few weeks it is nice to finally hear some good news about the organization. With the signing of Colston the Saints should focus on the upcoming season and like Colston said “get back to work and win some more rings.”
