Former teammates Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, who resolved their collusion cases with the NFL in February, received less than $10 million in the settlements, sources told Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal.

Terms weren't shared when the settlements were announced due to a confidentiality agreement.

Legal experts believe Kaepernick faced "a difficult path" to winning his grievance but also say the former quarterback would have received a lot more money if he'd won in court, Beaton reported.

"If Mr. Kaepernick had won his grievance, the league's collective bargaining agreement with its players would have entitled him to damages worth up to three times what an arbitrator determined he lost as a result of the collusion," Beaton wrote, while adding that meant Kaepernick could have been awarded $90 million in a ruling.

Kaepernick and Reid began protesting racial inequality and police brutality in 2016 by kneeling during the playing of the United States national anthem. They alleged they were blackballed by teams as a result.

Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers at the end of that season and has yet to play again in the NFL. Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers in late September after an entire offseason on the open market. He was re-signed to a three-year deal in February.