The NFL has set its salary cap for the 2016 league year at $155.27 million, according to a report from Pro Football Talk that has since been confirmed by the NFLPA.
The salary cap is indeed set at $155.27 million per team. This does not include the benefits number per team. Revenues up = cap up.
— George Atallah (@GeorgeAtallah) February 27, 2016
That number is a nearly $12 million hike from the $143.3 million salary cap set for the 2015 league year. For the Buffalo Bills specifically, it does not include the $4.467 million in unused 2015 cap space that they rolled over into the 2016 league year, meaning that the Bills can spend up to $159.737 million on player contracts this coming year.
Buffalo ranks among the most cap-strapped teams in the NFL heading into the 2016 season, having handed large contracts to several players over the last few years. They have already begun working on increasing their amount of cap space for free agency, however; they re-structured the contract of Charles Clay earlier this week, and will approach several other veterans about doing the same. (Leodis McKelvin and Corey Graham have reportedly already been approached.)
Additionally, the Bills will save at least $12.9 million in cap room if, as is widely expected, they release defensive end Mario Williams. Even more avenues for increasing cap space exist, with a Stephon Gilmore contract extension most prominent among them.
The 2016 NFL league year begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 9.
This article was written by Brian Galliford from SB Nation and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.