Anquan Boldin’s future in the NFL is with the Buffalo Bills only

Anquan Boldin, who signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent in August only to suddenly retire 13 days later to focus on a “life’s purpose bigger than football”, will have his rights retained by the Bills through 2018 after the team was unable to work out a deal before the 4 p.m. trade deadline Tuesday afternoon.

First-year general manager Brandon Beane had that to say after failing to complete a deal for Boldin. The veteran wide receiver will not have his rights released, which would have freed Boldin up to play for another team this season.

"We made a commitment to Anquan, and he made a commitment to us back in [training] camp," Beane told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday. "He left for the reasons he mentioned back in August. We invested in him -- invested time and committed to him -- and we wouldn't want to just put him out on the market to see him go sign with the Patriots or the Dolphins or anybody that can get in our way or work against us."

Prior to the trade deadline, it was revealed that the Bills gave Boldin permission to speak to other teams about trading for his services. Boldin, 37, has previously expressed his desire to suit up for an NFL team closer to his Florida home.

Would Boldin simply decide to change his mind and play for the suddenly resurgent Bills, who at 5-2 find themselves far exceeding preseason expectations while in the thick of the AFC playoff race? Beane told the media that while he would not rule out that possibility, but the option of returning to the Bills was not discussed when Boldin’s agent inquired about a trade.

Buffalo still retains Boldin’s rights on the reserve/retired list beyond this season and into the 2018 season.

Oh and in case you didn’t hear, the Bills did something to address their wide receiver corps for a possible playoff push this year, sending a third- and seventh-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for talented fourth-year wideout Kelvin Benjamin.