The fired Minneapolis police officer who held his knee to George Floyd's neck during the arrest where Floyd died agreed to plead guilty to third-degree murder days after Floyd's death, but then-Attorney General William Barr rejected the deal.

Derek Chauvin and the three other officers involved were fired days after Floyd's death on May 25 and later arrested. Chauvin faces second-degree murder charges and is scheduled for trial in March. The other three are charged with aiding and abetting and are to be tried together in the summer.

The details of the failed deal were first reported by The New York Times.

"As part of the deal, officials now say, he was willing to go to prison for more than 10 years," the Times reported. "Local officials, scrambling to end the community's swelling anger, scheduled a news conference to announce the deal."

Chauvin had asked to serve his time in a federal prison, and the deal was contingent on the federal government's approval because Chauvin wanted assurance he would not face federal civil rights charges, the Times reported.

Chauvin's lawyer, Eric Nelson, declined to comment Thursday, NBC reports.