Colin Kaepernick last played professional football on January 1st, 2017. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who led his team to the Super Bowl as a first-year starter in 2012, has gone unsigned in the interim, emerging as one of the sports world's biggest lightning rods for praise and criticism for his decision to protest racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem. More than two years later, Kaepernick is still unsigned, and his level of fame, for better or worse, has reached new heights.

With the NFL effectively blacklisting him from the league, might Kaepernick be interested in playing in a different professional football league? The new Alliance of American Football indeed inquired, but was rebuffed by Kaepernick after learning of the salary he wanted to become the face of the league, the Seattle Times reports.

A person with knowledge of the conversation tells The Associated Press that the new Alliance of American Football spoke with Colin Kaepernick during its development about joining the league.

But Kaepernick wanted $20 million or more to consider playing with the league that had its debut last weekend.

Bill Polian, co-founder of the AAF and president of the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2011, told The Athletic's Lindsey Jones that league CEO Charlie Ebersol reached out to Kaepernick, but was unclear why the two spoke without reaching an agreement.

“I don't know what transpired, but he's obviously not playing,” Polian said.

An arbitrator ruled late last summer that Kaepernick's grievance against the NFL would go to trial, denying the league's request that it be thrown out. Kaepernick claims that owners conspired against signing him to keep him out of the league as a result of his protest.