Marques Colston gets his feet wet as Soul ownership partner

While the Eagles look for a wide receiver to replace Jeremy Maclin, the Soul have found one.

Marques Colston, the New Orleans Saints' all-time leader in four receiving categories, won't be playing for the Soul anytime soon. Instead, the 10-year veteran, who joined the Soul as an ownership partner last fall, will be closely involved with the team.

"With me being on the back end of my career, I know they are going to show me the door sooner rather than later," Colston, a seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra, said of the Saints. "I kind of have a plan to transition and I'm looking at staying in a field and an industry that I'm experienced and versed in. Getting the chance to work with this ownership group has been amazing. I'm looking forward to working with them for years and years to come."

This isn't Colston's first foray into ownership. Before joining the Soul, he was the majority owner of the Harrisburg Stampede of the American Indoor Football and the Professional Indoor Football League. Colston, who is a Harrisburg native, suspended the team's operations in December.

Colston, 31, got to know Soul majority owner and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski during tryout camps in recent years. The relationship grew and eventually an opportunity for a minority ownership presented itself.

"He's not just an outstanding NFL player who has had a great NFL career," Jaworski said. "He has a vision. He has always been looking down the road. He saw this as an opportunity to get involved in a professional sports team and we're excited to have him."

Colston joins a Soul team in transition.

The Soul finished the 2014 season 9-9 and got bounced from the playoffs in the first round. The Soul reached the ArenaBowl in each of its previous two seasons but failed to bring home the title. The Soul won its only ArenaBowl in 2008.

Colston said he does not expect to immediately be involved in personnel decisions. That's for a later time.

"As I get my feet wet here and kind of get more experienced I would love to," Colston said. "My goal is to come in here and not rock the boat too much too early. It's just intelligent for me to sit back and watch these guys and pick it up as I go along."