Colin Kaepernick reportedly gets $1 million book deal

The Colin Kaepernick story still has a few chapters left in it, but he already has been given $1 million to write about his experiences. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who was the first NFL player last year to stage protests during the national anthem, has reportedly landed a book deal with Random House.

That's according to the New York Post's Page Six, which reported Tuesday that Kaepernick's book will be published by One World, a Random House imprint. Page Six had reported Monday that Kaepernick was shopping a book to New York publishers and taking meetings at his talent agency, WME.

Even as the NFL protests he inspired have continued in his absence, creating national headlines and provoking numerous critical comments and tweets from President Donald Trump, Kaepernick has said little on the record. He has indicated that he would like to return to the NFL, having become a free agent in May, but three more teams, the Packers, Cardinals and Dolphins, recently passed on signing him in the wake of injuries to their starting quarterbacks.

In response to his ongoing unemployment, Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the league, alleging that owners have colluded to keep him out. The quarterback's legal team has begun the discovery process and plans (per CBS Sports) to request email and cellphone records from teams and league executives.

Kaepernick's lawyers reportedly intend to highlight Trump's intervention, as the president has repeatedly called for the NFL to punish players who refuse to stand during the anthem. Starting during his presidential campaign, Trump has singled out the quarterback for criticism, and at a March rally in Louisville, he told the crowd, "There was an article today, it was reported, that NFL owners don't want to pick him up because they don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump, do you believe that?"

In turn, Kaepernick has used his social-media platforms to jab at Trump, as well as to bring attention to his social activism. Kaepernick is well on his way toward fulfilling his pledge of donating $1 million to a variety of community-focused organizations, and he runs an initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, aimed at helping at-risk youth.

Regardless of whether he ever returns to the NFL, Kaepernick's journey has made him a high-profile national figure, one with quite a tale to tell. To judge from Tuesday's news, Random House was more than willing to pony up and have him tell it in their pages.