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When receiver Anquan Boldin retired, he made it clear that he’s done with football. Now, his agent is exploring a potential trade, with the permission of the Bills.

So if a trade can’t be accomplished, could Boldin return to the Bills?

“We really didn’t go there,” G.M. Brandon Beane told reporters on Friday evening. “It was more expressed that if there was a suitor closer to home, which is Florida — that’s the way it was explained to us and I have not personally spoken to Anquan about it. His representatives reached out. So if we can find something that’s a win-win, we will do it but other than that, no, I don’t expect anything to happen.”

Still, Beane eventually said as to a possible Boldin return that Beane will “never say never.”

Boldin joined the Bills on August 7, and he retired less than two weeks later. It was reported in September that Boldin has lingering interest in playing for the Patriots, but the geographical boundaries drawn by Beane would leave out New England.

If Boldin is looking for a contender, there aren’t many clear-cut, can’t-miss winners in and around Florida. The Dolphins and Jaguars each have won four of seven games, the Buccaneers have won two of six, the Falcons stand at 3-3, and the Panthers are 4-3. The Bills currently have a better record than any of them, at 4-2.

If a trade doesn’t happen, the options apparently will be to play for the Bills or to continue to play for no one; Beane said that the Bills have no plans to release Boldin.

If a release comes after the trade deadline, Boldin will be subject to waivers — meaning that his rights could be claimed by a fear for which he has no interest in playing.