ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Joique Bell had his news conference Wednesday to chat about his new contract that could keep him with the Detroit Lions for the next three seasons, but he also touched on some other topics unrelated to his new deal.

• Bell confirmed that he ran into wide receiver Golden Tate -- a free agent the Detroit Lions are pursuing -- in the hallway of the team's offices Wednesday afternoon. Tate was headed into the room that Bell just walked out of after signing his contract, but Bell didn't know if that meant anything.

• Bell said he has spoken with Ndamukong Suh -- Suh was the third person to call him after news of his new contract broke -- about Suh's contract negotiations. Or, rather, Suh's lack of negotiations at present.

  "He said they really haven’t been negotiating right now," Bell said. "He said his focus is coming in next season, and it’s easy for us just to be the players. That’s why we hire our agents, to worry about that type of stuff."

  Bell said that's about all he knew about Suh's status. Suh is entering the final year of his contact with a $22.4 million cap number.

• Bell never worried at all about a long-term contract not getting done with Detroit. That's not surprising since it appeared all parties wanted to do the deal.

• Bell called offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who he had as a coach in New Orleans, "brilliant." Bell really seemed high on him and also described Lombardi and Jim Caldwell the same way, as guys who you didn't want to disappoint and coaches who rarely yelled.

• Bell's son, Jordan, attended his father's news conference because it was a snow day at school in the Detroit area.

• Bell opened his news conference by offering condolences to the Ford family, who are mourning the death of owner William Clay Ford Sr., who died Sunday at age 88 after battling pneumonia.