The Buffalo Bills released wide receiver Anquan Boldin from the retired list Wednesday, which would make him free to sign with another team should he decide to resume his playing career.
Boldin, 37, retired in August less than two weeks after signing with the Bills during training camp, citing a desire to focus on his humanitarian work.
However, Boldin's agent sent a letter to Bills general manager Brandon Beane in October asking for permission to speak to other teams to discuss a trade. No team traded for Boldin before the NFL's trade deadline, and Beane decided he would not release Boldin's rights.
"We made a commitment to Anquan, and he made a commitment to us back in [training] camp," Beane told SiriusXM NFL Radio in November. "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."
Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, where he played his first seven seasons, Boldin retired with 1,076 receptions for 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns. He won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 season. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.