Did the NFL and players of that time fund a pension plan? Is the pension plan paying promised benefits? Was it set up as a pension or as a 401k type plan?
There are unanswered questions.
I am pretty sure that players in the modern era that played more than seven years receive three hundred thousand/year or so. Big bucks. Not sure for those that play just a few seasons.
That is embarrassingly low... but if that is what both sides agreed to.. it is what it is....
Bunch of 20somethings were probably offered better pensions but less pay... and you know what they almost certainly took.
Also keep in mind the working life span of a typical NFL player is short... typically. The average career over all positions is just 2.5 years.