He saw his first action against the Oakland Raiders, replacing an injured Steve Dils. In 1982, he did not appear in any game during the strike shortened season. In 1983, he only played in the season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 16-of-28 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions, contributing to the 20-14 victory in his first career start. In 1984, he started 5 out of 8 contests, with both Tommy Kramer and Archie Manning injured. His best game was the 27-24 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he completed 24-of-36 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions. In 1985, he was diagnosed with Diabetes mellitus type 1. He appeared in 4 games, with his only start coming in place of an injured Kramer against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he led the team to one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history. The Eagles held a 23-0 advantage with 8:23 minutes to play. Wilson directed 4 scoring drives, that included 3 touchdown passes to achieve a 28-23 victory, tallying 13-of-27 completions for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1986, he appeared in 9 games, that included 3 starts in place of an injured Kramer. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in the season finale 33-17 win against the New Orleans Saints, after replacing an injured Kramer and having the best game of his career at the time, completing 24-of-39 passes for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was mostly the backup quarterback until 1987, when Kramer started 5 games to Wilson's 7 contests, including the playoffs. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after the 21-16 win against the Los Angeles Rams, completing 17-of-38 passes for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns, including the 41-yard game winner to wide receiver Hassan Jones with less than a minute to play. He also threw for 3 touchdowns in the season opener against the Detroit Lions and in the eleventh game against the Chicago Bears. He led the Vikings in rushing in the fourteenth game against the Detroit Lions with 8 carries for 55 yards and in the season finale against the Washington Redskins with 10 carries for 75 yards. He also guided the team to the NFC Championship Game after an upset of the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, finally succumbing 17-10 to the eventual Super Bowl XXII champion Washington Redskins. In 1988, he started 10 games to Kramer's 6 contests, while missing 2 games with a separated shoulder.