A 1943 NFL Offer Letter Reveals the One Piece of Equipment the Team Wouldn't Pay For

Back in the day, chief petty officers earned more than NFL players.

Reddit user drepicgames posted a picture of his uncle's 1943 offer letter from the New York Giants early Saturday, sparking a discussion on Reddit about how the value of football players has grown astronomically over time.

The letter asks if Mr. Harold Gutke would be interested in playing in the NFL, assuming he doesn't expect "to be called to the colors" for military service before November.

The offer: $150 per game, and equipment paid for — except shoes.

Image via imgur

In 1943, $150 was worth roughly $2,000 in 2014 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, meaning that in a 10-game season, Gutke would have earned the modern equivalent of $20,000.

Nowadays, top draft picks earn tens of millions of dollars and the average NFL salary is $1.9 million — the league has come a long way since 1943.

This story has been updated.

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