Vilma was born in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City to Haitian immigrant parents.

[2][3] His family moved to Coral Gables, Florida, when Vilma was 6 years old, where he attended G. W. Carver Middle School and later Coral Gables Senior High School, where he was a teammate of Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore.

In 2000, Vilma played in all 11 games as a reserve middle linebacker and compiled 38 tackles (29 solo) and a pass deflection.

He earned unanimous first-team All-Big East selection for the second time in his career and was a semi-finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, along with teammate D. J. Williams.

He suffered a season ending knee injury during the New York Jets week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

[9] Vilma was elected one of the defensive captains, led the team in tackles, had three interceptions, and was chosen for his second Pro Bowl.

In Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010, Vilma made several important plays, including making a key defensive audible and deflecting a pass on 3rd and 11 in the fourth quarter.

The NFL alleged that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams operated an incentive program, which paid out "bounties" for deliberately putting opposing players out of games.

The league alleged that Vilma offered $10,000 cash to anyone who knocked Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

The league contended that Vilma and defensive end Will Smith aided Williams in starting the alleged program in 2009.

[21] Opinions about the suspensions were divided, as alleged targets like Favre and Kurt Warner claimed that incentive programs were part of the game, which was corroborated by [22] former players interviewed by Sports Illustrated.

On July 26, Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints (along with a sworn affidavit from Drew Brees) testified to a federal judge in New Orleans that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell misrepresented the facts in the league's investigation.

[23] The Associated Press reported Roger Goodell's disappointment in the determination of the arbitration board's ruling.

[27] Vilma underwent knee surgery during the preseason and was placed on the Reserve/Injured Designated for Return list, with the hope that he would recover in time to play during the season.