Wilson carried the ball 103 times for 413 yards and three touchdowns, caught 25 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns for a team-high five total scores, and returned seven kickoffs for 192 yards as the Saints finished 4-5 in a strike-shortened 1982 season, just missing the postseason on a tiebreaker.

Wilson led the Saints with 11 touchdowns in 1983, but the team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs by a close margin. He caught 20 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns, returned nine kickoffs for 239 yards, and ran 199 times for 787 yards with a club-high nine touchdowns for an outfit that finished sixth in the NFL in rushing offense. Wilson dominated the line of scrimmage in the Saints’ 17-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins on October 2 at the Superdome, running the ball 34 times for 160 yards. With Wilson rushing 18 times for 103 yards (5.7 average.), collecting five catches for 53 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown, and returning three kickoffs for 98 yards, including a 52-yard runback for 254 all-purpose yards, New Orleans moved to 4-2 the next week with a 19-17 victory over Atlanta. With 28 seconds left and New Orleans behind 17–16, Wilson successfully converted a first down on a five-yard carry to position himself up for the game-winning 35-yard field goal as the clock ran out.