Hutson's first catch as a professional was on an 83-yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber on the first play from scrimmage against the Chicago Bears, in the second game of the 1935 season. It was the only score of the game as the Packers won 7–0. He caught six touchdowns total in his rookie season, which led the league. It was the first in a string of four straight seasons and nine seasons total that Hutson led the league in touchdown receptions. The next season the Packers won their fourth league title, with a 21–6 win over the Boston Redskins in the 1936 NFL Championship Game. Hutson scored the first touchdown of the game, on a 48-yard pass from Herber in the first quarter. Hutson completed the season with 34 receptions for 536 yards and eight touchdowns, which were all league records, and helped Herber set the NFL season passing yards record.
In 1938, Hutson had nine touchdown receptions, again setting the league record, as he led the Packers to another NFL Championship Game, this time against the New York Giants. However, a knee injury he suffered four weeks earlier kept him out of the game's starting lineup. He entered as a substitute three separate times late in the game but was unable to be a factor, catching no passes as Green Bay was defeated 23–17.
Hutson reclaimed the season receiving yards record from Tinsley in 1939 by catching 34 passes for 846 yards—an average of 24.9 yards per reception, the highest of his career. He again led the Packers to the championship game, for a rematch against the Giants. This time Green Bay was victorious, with a 27–0 shutout win. Hutson had two receptions in the game for 21 yards and a rushing attempt that went for three yards.
In 1940, Hutson scored seven touchdowns and kicked 15 extra points to lead the league in scoring by edging out Rams fullback Johnny Drake by a single point. On September 29, Hutson caught his 38th career touchdown pass, breaking Johnny Blood's record. With 99 touchdown receptions for his career, he remained the record holder for almost 50 years, until surpassed by the last touchdown of Steve Largent's career in 1989.
In 1941, Hutson became the first receiver to catch 50 passes in a season, doing so while again leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He also scored two rushing touchdowns, for a total of 12. After the season, he was awarded the Joe F. Carr Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He received six of the nine first place votes, finishing ahead of his quarterback Cecil Isbell, who received two first place votes.
In February 1943, Hutson announced his retirement from football due to a lingering chest injury. He changed his mind and returned for the 1943 season, however, and caught 47 passes for 776 yards and eleven touchdowns, leading the league in all three. He also threw his first and only completed pass of his career: a 38-yard touchdown pass to Harry Jacunski against the Bears. Additionally, he successfully kicked 36 extra points on 36 tries, and had an 83-yard interception return touchdown. After the season Hutson again announced his intention to retire as a player, this time to be an assistant coach for the Packers. He once again returned as a player in 1944 and again led the league with 58 receptions, 866 yards, and nine touchdowns, while also serving as assistant coach. He led the Packers to the 1944 NFL Championship Game against the Giants and caught two passes for 47 yards, as the Packers won their third and final championship with Hutson, 14–7.
In all, Hutson caught 488 passes for 7,991 yards and 99 touchdowns. He rushed for three touchdowns, scored two touchdowns on blocked punts, and had an interception return touchdown for a career total of 105. He scored at least six receiving touchdowns in each of his 11 seasons. Hutson led the NFL in receptions eight times, including five consecutive times: 1941 to 1945. He led the NFL in receiving yards seven times, including four straight times: 1941 to 1944. He led the NFL in scoring five times: 1941 to 1945. As of 2016, Hutson still holds the highest career average touchdowns per game for a receiver, at 0.85. Hutson's single season record of 17 touchdown receptions in 1942 stood for 42 years until broken by receiver Mark Clayton in 1984, a year in which Miami's quarterback Dan Marino had more completions (362) than the entire 1942 Packers team's pass attempts (330). His four receiving touchdowns in a game has been surpassed three times and tied several times, but his four in a single quarter has yet to be matched. His record 99 touchdown receptions stood for 44 years, well into the modern era. In his 11-year professional career, Hutson never missed a game due to injury. He invented many pass routes still in use today, including the chair route. For the third time in as many years Hutson announced his retirement, and for the third time he returned as a player in 1945. A sportswriter for The Pittsburgh Press jokingly declared Hutson "holder of the world's record for coming out of retirement." In a week three, 57–21 blowout win against the Detroit Lions, Hutson set an NFL record with four touchdown receptions in a game, all of them coming in the second quarter. He also kicked five extra points in the quarter, for a total of 29 points, which as of 2015 remains a record for points by a player in a single quarter.
At his peak, Hutson was a challenge to defend, mainly because no one had ever seen anything like him in the NFL before. Even when opposing defenses deployed their best defender or multiple defenders against Hutson, he was almost always able to break free. Hutson's ability to beat defenders was remarkable considering he played in an era when there were far fewer restrictions on how and when a defender could legally hit a receiver. It was initially thought that the 6-1, 185-pound Hutson was too fragile for the NFL. However, according to Tony Canadeo, who played alongside Hutson from 1941 to 1944, Hutson was as skilled going over the middle as he was going deep.
For many of his 11 seasons, Hutson was also the Packers' kicker. He added 172 extra points on 183 attempts and seven field goals on 15 attempts for another league record 823 points. He led the league in extra points made and attempted in 1941, 1942 and 1945 and in field goals made in 1943. As did almost all players in his day, Hutson played both offense and defense. On defense, he played safety and intercepted 30 passes over the final six years of his career. His highest season total was in 1943, when he intercepted eight passes in ten games. In 1940, he led the NFL with six interceptions.
Hutson was a player-coach during the last two seasons of his playing career. After his retirement as a player, Hutson remained on the Packers staff as an assistant until 1948.
Records held as of retirement:
- Most seasons led league, scoring: 5 (Still a record)
- Most consecutive seasons led league, scoring: 5 (Still a record)
- Most touchdowns scored in a quarter: 4 (Still a record)
- Most touchdown receptions in a quarter: 4 (Still a record)
- Most points scored in a quarter: 29 (Still a record)
- Most seasons led league, touchdowns: 8 (Still a record)
- Most consecutive seasons led league, touchdowns: 4 (Still a record)
- Most seasons led league, receiving touchdowns: 9 (Still a record)
- Most consecutive seasons led league, receiving touchdowns: 5 (Still a record)
- Most seasons led league, receptions: 8 (Still a record)
- Most consecutive seasons led league, receptions: 5 (Still a record)
- Most seasons led league, receiving yards: 7 (Still a record)
- Most consecutive seasons led league, receiving yards: 4 (Still a record)
- Most receptions, career: 488
- Most receptions, season: 74
- Most receptions, game: 14
- Most receiving yards, career: 7,991
- Most receiving yards, season: 1,211
- Most receiving yards, game: 209
- Most receiving touchdowns, career: 99
- Most touchdowns, season: 17
- Most touchdowns, game: 4
- Most points scored in a calendar month: 74 (Four games in October 1945)
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