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 you want to be as a running back, because you’re thinking ‘if I get hurt, they’re not gonna pay me.’ So you’re running subconsciously trying not to get hurt," said Bell.

"Deep down, and I ain’t talk to Saquon, so I don’t know, I signed the franchise tag one time, and when I did it, I felt devalued, I felt like the team don’t really want me here, I feel like they playing with me, they don’t really value me," Bell continued.

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If there is a guy who deserves a long-term deal, though, Bell says it is Barkley.

Saquon Barkley, #26 of the New York Giants, in action against the Carolina Panthers during a game at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

"Even in [the year I held out], if the Steelers didn’t want to pay me a certain amount of money, they got excuses, because we got Antonio Brown on the outside, we gotta pay him. We got Ben Roethlisberger, who’s a Hall of Famer, making $100 million. We gotta pay him. The Giants don’t have that. They don’t have an Antonio Brown, they don’t have a Ben Roethlisberger.

"They have a Saquon Barkley, though. He’s their player. He’s the guy."

Bell said he has not reached out to any of the running backs regarding the recent negative trend of the position, simply because he feels it is not his place to force his opinions on any of them.

NFC running back Saquon Barkley, #26 of the New York Giants, warms up prior to an NFL Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 5, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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"If they hit me up, and they want to talk to me about it, then of course. I’ll talk to them about whatever they want," he said. "But I ain’t reach out to try to influence their decision, because at the end of the day, they’re gonna do what they want to do, they want to be happy, and I want them to be happy, at the end of the day."

Barkley finished the year with 1,312 rushing yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry on 295 attempts, with 10 touchdowns on the ground. He was also tied for receptions on the team with 57 and made his second Pro Bowl.