Michael Sam is reportedly drawing interests from Canadian Football League team Montreal Alouettes.

Sam, who is the first openly gay player to be taken in the NFL Draft after the St. Louis Rams picked him in the seventh round last year, has been on the radar of the Alouettes over the past several months.

According to Montreal Gazette, Sam gave his exclusive CFL negotiation rights to the Alouettes since he was still playing in his senior year at the University of Missouri.

With no deal in sight for Sam in the NFL, Alouettes manager Jim Popp said that their team is ready to sign the 25-year-old defensive end. He admitted, though, that he is unsure if Sam really wants to play in the CFL, saying they have a 50-50 chance of signing the former Missouri standout.

"It's Michael who has to make the decision and he might never come," Popp said. "The indications were he was ready to come last fall, and he's still not with us. So I really don't know. Seriously, I'd say our chances are 50/50."

Popp said that Sam, who was named as the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year during his senior year at Missouri, is a perfect fit to the style of competition in the CFL.

"The CFL is cut out perfectly for his style," Popp said. "It would give him the opportunity to do what he does best."

However, Popp said that based on what he has been hearing over the past several weeks, Sam is determined to get an NFL contract before the start of the new season. The Texas native is reportedly willing to wait in the next several weeks before thinking of moving to the CFL.

Sam, who was also named on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys last season before he was released in October, recently participated in the NFL veteran combine and declared that he will not stop trying because he is determined to play in the league.

"As long as I still have that will, as long as I'm still healthy and can play this game, you will continue to see me fighting to get in this league," Sam said last month.

Sam, who won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2014 ESPY Awards after admitting his sexual orientation, expressed confidence that he will eventually play in the NFL, but he also added that moving to CFL is also an option.

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