Le'Veon Bell says Saquon Barkley signed franchise tag in order to avoid backlash of holding out

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When Le'Veon Bell decided to hold out in 2018, the decision turned fans against him.

The move resulted in fans and media alike calling him selfish for not being there for his then-Pittsburgh Steelers.

The thought of holding out crept into Saquon Barkley's head, as he admitted it was a route he was thinking of taking in order for his New York Giants to understand his value, before having an "epiphany" and signing his franchise tag. 

However, as Bell pointed to, holding out likely would have come with much criticism from just about everybody, leaving Barkley with no other choice.

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Saquon Barkley, #26 of the New York Giants, walks off the field after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-7 in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 21, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

"I think he signed that strictly because he didn’t want to be in a situation like me," Bell told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "He didn’t want the fans mad at him, he didn’t want everybody looking at him a certain way, he didn’t want to be called selfish."

Bell signed the franchise tag only once, holding out after it was offered to him a second time and eventually missing the 2018 season. However, he was willing to play on the tag the one time because "I want my teammates to still want me, I still want to win a Super Bowl, I still want to do this stuff."

However, with a second franchise tag likely in his future, and the value of his position declining, Bell says Barkley might have some uneasy thoughts creeping into the back of his head.

"You can’t even be as good as