It's understood his management has held a preliminary discussion with the Bombers, but both parties are happy to wait.

Bellchambers' two-year deal expires this season and he has emerged as one of only 11 restricted free agents across the league. His expiring deal was reportedly worth more than $700,000 a year.

He will be a key player for the Bombers this season, particularly since Patrick Ryder departed for Port Adelaide.

It makes sense for the both parties to wait because Bellchambers has battled serious ankle issues in recent years. He had surgery in January last year, returned to the senior side in round nine but, amid ongoing pain, did not rediscover his groove. According to Champion Data, he rated poor for a ruckman in hit-outs and clearances.

He had more surgery last September but has not played through the NAB Challenge.

While Bellchambers is a prominent name, Adelaide superstar Patrick Dangerfield heads the list of restricted free agents.

Dangerfield has yet to indicate whether he is prepared to remain with the Crows, but the club does have the option of matching any offer for him. The Crows are set to offer him a contract worth between $850,000 and $1 million a year.

Geelong is expected to table a lucrative long-term deal to lure Dangerfield home.

The Cats have yet to announce a new contract for Tom Hawkins, but the power forward has maintained it's only a matter of time before he signs on for a deal expected to be about $750,000 a season.

The Cats also have seven unrestricted free agents, with Corey Enright the only so far to indicate he will retire at the end of the season.

Richmond defender Alex Rance has put contract talks on hold, and has already attracted the interest of Fremantle, a club which has struggled to lure a major name from the east.

Having lost Jared Rivers and James Frawley in recent years, the Demons will be keen to retain Colin Garland, who is a restricted free agent. Having finished second in the best and fairest in 2013, Garland's 2014 campaign was hampered by surgery to remove a bone spur, and he did not play a senior match until round eight.

Hawthorn's Matthew Suckling could also generate interest, because his pin-point passing – he had the third-best kick rating of any general defender to play at least half of the home-and-away season last year – is a craved commodity in an era when possession-football rules.

Collingwood tagger Brent Macaffer, having been put on the long-term injury list while he recovers from a knee reconstruction, is an unrestricted free agent. He will not play again until after round five.

Restricted Free Agents:

Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide Crows); Matthew Leuenberger (Brisbane Lions); Matthew Kreuzer, Chris Judd (Carlton); Tom Bellchambers (Essendon); Tom Hawkins (Geelong Cats); Colin Garland (Melbourne); Sean Dempster, Sam Gilbert, Jack Steven (St Kilda); Scott Selwood (West Coast).

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Richard Douglas, Brodie Martin, Andy Otten, Brent Reilly, Scott Thompson (Adelaide Crows); Jed Adcock (Brisbane Lions); Dennis Armfield, Andrew Carazzo, David Ellard (Carlton); Brent Macaffer (Collingwood); Courtenay Dempsey, Dustin Fletcher, Tayte Pears, Brent Stanton, Jason Winderlich (Essendon); Ryan Crowley, Paul Duffield, Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin, Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle); Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Andrew Mackie, Dawson Simpson, Matthew Stokes (Geelong Cats); Luke Hodge, Matthew Suckling, Brendan Whitecross (Hawthorn); Mark Jamar (Melbourne); Michael Firrito, Nathan Grima, Brent Harvey, Scott McMahon, Drew Petrie, Robbie Tarrant (North Melbourne); Kane Cornes, Tom Logan (Port Adelaide); Nathan Foley, Chris Newman, Alex Rance (Richmond); Sam Fisher, Adam Schneider (St Kilda); Adam Goodes, Heath Grundy, Ted Richards (Sydney Swans); Sam Butler, Patrick McGinnity, Beau Waters (retired) (West Coast); Matthew Boyd, Jarrad Grant, Dale Morris, Robert Murphy, Easton Wood (Western Bulldogs).