Someone else calculated that $1 million is about 30 years of the teaching salary. So you cannot retire on a career either.
If I were forced to choose I’d take the $1 million up front over a low-paying career and let it grow in the market while I found other work to avoid using it. $1 million up front over $1.3 million across 40-some years is a very good investment. Consider the decreased value of future money.