Bills defensive end Mario Williams is considering surgery on his ailing left wrist. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams is considering surgery on his injured left wrist, reports the Buffalo News.

Williams and Bills head coach Chan Gailey have insisted the wrist has not caused Williams to miss any practices, but last week the NFL fined the Bills $20,000 for violating the league policy on reporting injuries.

In March, the Bills signed Williams to a six-year contract worth as much as $100 million, which is the NFL’s richest contract for a defensive player.

“I need to play better, and I need to get healthy,” Williams said on Sunday. “It’s No. 1 on my point. I can say this and you can take it however you want to take it, but it really don’t matter to me. I really don’t care what you think. At the end of the day I know I need to get physically back into things so I’m not hesitating.”

Williams has 3.5 sacks in 425 snaps this season and had no sacks and one tackle in the Bills’ loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Buffalo is off this week and will return to action against Williams’ former team, the Houston Texans on Nov. 4.

The NFL has reportedly scheduled replacement officials to work for the first five weeks of the NFL season. (Larry French/Getty Images)

Despite a rather woeful first official week from the NFL’s replacement referees, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the referee lockout isn’t on track to end anytime soon.

With no resolution to talks between the NFL and its locked-out referees in sight, the league has devised a schedule for replacement referees through the first five weeks of the season.

The news comes on the heels of increased scrutiny that has been placed on the replacement officials in Week 1. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday that the NFL Players Association sent a letter to the NFL requesting the return of the officials.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams slammed the replacement refs, saying he was the victim of non-calls all game in the Bills’ loss to the Jets on Sunday.

“It’s not something that’s really going to dictate something, but what are you going to do about it? You’re getting off the ball and getting punched in the face, literally, not an accident, just about every other time,” Williams said, according to The Buffalo News. That’s a penalty. Unless they changed it with the new CBA or something, but last time I checked it was a penalty.”

The officials also mistakenly awarded Seattle an extra timeout late in the fourth quarter, which didn’t end up affecting the outcome of the Seahawks’ loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The league locked out the officials in early June. The two sides are in dispute over salary, retirement benefits and operational issues.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams said replacement refs did not call numerous penalties on the Jets on Sunday. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Defensive end Mario Williams, the Buffalo Bills’ prized free-agent acquisition, ripped the NFL’s replacement referees after the Bills lost to the Jets Sunday, saying he was “getting punched in the face, literally.”

“It’s not something that’s really going to dictate something, but what are you going to do about it? You’re getting off the ball and getting punched in the face, literally, not an accident, just about every other time,” Williams said, according to The Buffalo News. That’s a penalty. Unless they changed it with the new CBA or something, but last time I checked it was a penalty.”

The 27-year-old Williams was held sack-less and had just one tackle in the Bills’ 48-28 loss to the Jets, during which New York put up more points than it had in any game last season. The Jets also scored four offensive touchdowns, which was three more than it had all preseason.

But Williams, who signed a six-year deal worth potentially $100 million in the offseason, complained that the replacement refs did not call numerous penalties on new Jets right tackle Austin Howard.

“Pass blocking doesn’t include hands to the face,” Williams said. “When someone tells the officials that, and they just walk away, or they dont’ call it, that is disheartening.”

Howard stepped into a starting role for the Jets when the team traded away maligned right tackle Wayne Hunter before its third preseason game.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay says he is not giving up no.90, the number he has worn for ten years, to newly acquired star defensive end Mario Williams, according to the Buffalo News.

Kelsay says Williams understands his position and has not asked for the number, which Williams wore through six seasons with the Houston Texans.

“The team told us something would need to be decided on fairly soon,” Kelsay said to the Buffalo News. “I spoke with Mario. I actually brought it up to him, he didn’t bring it up to me. He completely understood.”

Kelsay is entering his 10th season and is the second-longest tenured Bill on the team.  Currently, the Bills have no unassigned numbers between 90 and 99.  Therefore, Williams may attain no.92, which belongs to third-year defensive lineman Alex Carrington.

The Buffalo Bills and former Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams have agreed on a deal, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson.

Bills have a 1:30 presser to announce Mario Williams signing, per sources.

—
Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 15, 2012

By signing Williams, the Bills will finally fill their need to improve their pass rush after only compiling just 29 sacks last season. With the Texans, Williams had a franchise-best 53 career sacks, including a team single-season best 14 in 2007.

The 6-foot-6 and 285 pound Williams was limited to playing just five games last season after sustaining a torn chest muscle.

Free-agent defensive end Mario Williams will spend the night in Buffalo and continue his official visit with the Bills on Thursday morning, the team announced.

Mario Williams has left 1 Bills Drive for the evening. He plans to stay in Buffalo for the evening and return to 1 Bills Drive in the am.

—
Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) March 14, 2012

Early today, it was reported that the Bills are prepared to make the former first overall pick the highest-paid defensive player in the league.

Williams, 27, was limited to just five games last season due to injury, but still accumulated five sacks and a forced fumble for the Houston Texans. Williams was selected as the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft – a highly criticized pick considering the team passed on former USC star running back Reggie Bush – and has had an extremely productive career, accumulating 53 total sacks in 82 career games.

How badly do the Buffalo Bills want to sign free-agent defensive end Mario Williams? Here’s how badly — according to Mark Gaughan of Buffalo News, the team is committed to making Williams the top-paid defensive player in the NFL.

That’s a lofty goal. The Chicago Bears signed Julius Peppers for six years and $91.5 million in 2010, with over half that money guaranteed. But the Bills are dying to sign Williams, the two-time Pro Bowler with 53 career sacks to his name.

Bills general manager Buddy Nix flew down to North Carolina with defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt to pick up Williams and bring him to Buffalo for a dinner with team officials.

The team is looking to finalize a deal with Williams as soon as possible. If the star defensive end leaves Buffalo without a new contract in hand, the Bills are unlikely to have a shot at signing the former No. 1 pick later.