Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix says the team is going to do whatever it can to

improve this year.

Exactly how that will impact the team's budget for 2010 remains unclear.

Nix was definitive about actively addressing the team's needs when asked about the plan for

2010 at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. He was vague about what the Bills' budget for the

coming year will be. The NFL's new year begins Friday with the opening of the free-agent

market.

"What we'll do is take it one day at a time and try to do what's best for the Bills," Nix

said.

There is no salary cap in the NFL this year, due to the fact it's the last year of the

collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association. Teams can

spend as much or as little as they want. In 2009, the salary cap for each team was $127.9

million. The minimum cap total for each team was about $107 million.

Asked if the Bills would be operating as if there is a cap in 2010 and planned to spend

roughly what they had last season, Nix said:

"We're going to take it as it comes, if we need it we're going to try to do it. We're not

going to put any parameters either way."

There are some fears among agents that numerous teams may dramatically slash spending in

2010.

"We haven't given that any thought," Nix said.

What if fans jump to the conclusion, based on his nonspecific statement on spending, that

the Bills might have a tighter budget than last year? "Well, they shouldn't," Nix said.

Very well. We will see starting Friday how the Bills plan to revamp their roster.

It's important to note that most NFL teams are likely to be even more guarded about their

spending plans this year, given the current impasse in negotiations between the league and the

players association. The league is staring at the potential lockout of players if no deal is

reached before the 2011 season.

Pittsburgh has stated it will operate as if there is a cap this year. Atlanta General

Manager Tom Dimitroff has stated his team would be "fiscally responsible." That's likely to be

the mantra around the league.

The Bills ranked 25th out of 32 teams last year in overall player salaries, based on the

value of all player contracts, according to a News study.

The Bills finished 2009 about $6.5 million under the salary cap, at about $124.5 million,

according to News figures. Leaguewide, the average amount under the cap per team last year was

roughly $4.5 million.

In terms of actual cash paid out last season, the Bills finished about $10 million under

the cap, according to The News. (The $6.5 million figure includes the amortization of signing

bonuses, which is why it is lower than the actual cash figure.)

This offseason figures to see a reduction in overall free-agent spending in the league due

to new rules that were put in place for the uncapped year.

In past years, any player with four or more years' experience whose contract had expired

became an unrestricted free agent. A player with three years' experience was a restricted free

agent, meaning a team had the right to match any contract offer he got as long as it made a

qualifying offer to him before free agency started.

Under this year's rules, a player must have six years of experience before hitting

unrestricted free agency. Players with four or five years' experience are restricted.

If all of those new restricted players get qualifying offers, that will take roughly 210

potential free agents off the market.

Meanwhile, players who have finished their third year now will be exclusive-rights free

agents, meaning they only can sign with their current team.

Bills players who are restricted free agents this year are Keith Ellison, Gibran Hamdan,

Richie Incognito, Joe Klopfenstein, Derek Schouman, Jonathan Scott, George Wilson and Ashton

Youboty.