The conventional wisdom around the NFL has been that Bills quarterback J.P. Losman, who lost his starting job to rookie Trent Edwards last season, will not return to Buffalo in 2008.

But the Bills are saying publicly that they want to keep Losman around.

“I know he’s frustrated,” Bills quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said in a story on the team’s official web site. “I know he wants to go somewhere where he feels like he could be the starter. But we love him and we’d love to have him.”

The Bills’ coaching staff has made clear that Edwards is the starter for 2008, but Losman may be the best option available as a backup. Or it could be that the Bills simply want to make it look like they want to hold on to Losman in an attempt to gain leverage with potential trading partners.

Losman started seven games in 2007, completing 63.4 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and six interceptions.