ESPN

‘”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.”‘

‘The Panthers were willing to part with Benjamin because it eliminates some redundancy on the field with Benjamin, who is 6-foot-5, and Devin Funchess, who is 6-foot-4 with a similar skill set and now moves into Benjamin’s role as the No. 1 receiver. The Panthers also want to get faster receivers such as Russell Shepard, rookie Curtis Samuel and Kaelin Clay on the field more.’

‘The trade allows the Bills to clear the salary of their highest-paid player off their books. Under the direction of former general manager Doug Whaley, the Bills signed Dareus to a six-year, $100 million extension in September 2015 that included $60 million guaranteed.’

‘Beane said Friday that he did not personally speak with Boldin and did not discuss with his representatives whether Boldin was interested in returning to Buffalo.’

‘In a letter obtained by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills granted Tom Condon, agent for the 14-year veteran of the NFL, permission to speak with other teams “for the sole purpose of discussing a trade for Anquan.”‘

‘That’s what happened to Jenna Cottrell, a reporter at ABC affiliate WHAM in Rochester, New York, who was taken down by Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans on his fourth-quarter touchdown catch in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Thankfully, Cottrell was OK and had a great response following the collision.’