Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli headlines a long list of AFL stars out-of-contract past this season, with the star midfielder yet to sign a new long-term deal to remain at Whitten Oval.

However, according to Bontempelli, he is comfortable where negotiations with his management and the club lay at this point in time, stating there is no rush to ink a new contract with the Bulldogs.

"I probably don't put time frames on things at the best of times because you just need to sort of let it evolve naturally," Bontempelli told ESPN.

"There's no real pressure from my end, there's no real pressure from the club's end to get something done tomorrow.

MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
Midfielder
Bulldogs
2020 SEASON AVG
20.9
Disposals
4.8
Tackles
5.2
Clearances

"I think we're both pretty good in that respect that we'll just work through it and give it the time that it needs."

Bontempelli, 25, has played 145 games for the Bulldogs since being drafted in 2013 and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2021 season. The Bulldogs will be able to match any deal put forward to the club for his services.

AFL clubs and their players are still looking to finalise the terms of the total player payment following the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 virus.

Bontempelli revealed there are still some questions that need to be answered before moving on to the next stage of discussions.

"We've just sort of probably only recently understood the lay of the land in terms of what the TPP (total player payments) and salary stuff looks like," Bontempelli said.

"So that will form part of the discussion now as we move forward, but there's no real hesitation.

"It's just a matter of basically understanding what the lay of the land is now and then just working through it in time."

Bontempelli was appointed as Bulldogs skipper this week for the second-straight year ahead of the 2021 season, with utility Mitch Wallis appointed as his deputy in a new-look two-man leadership group at the Kennel.