Wills was a first-round pick out of Tulane University in the 1980 June draft. He was called up but did not play at the end of the 1981 season. Before the 1985 season, he was traded to the New York Mets for Tim Leary, then sent along to the Seattle Mariners, where he posted a 5-11 record with a dreadful 6.00 ERA in 1985.
Switched to the bullpen in 1986 by the Cleveland Indians, Wills was unable to pitch significantly better. His career-best ERA was 3.66 in 1989 with the Mariners.
