PHOENIX — Even in the offseason, quarterback Matthew Stafford still comes into the Rams’ practice facility for a workout every now and then. And when he does, he is typically greeted with an open door to General Manager Les Snead’s office to see how the team construction is coming along.

“As he’s kind of gotten to know who we are and how we operate, he pops into Les’ office and checks in, ‘Hey, we got anything going?’” team COO Tony Pastoors said Monday at the NFL’s league meetings. “Check the whiteboard, all that kind of stuff.”

It’s this kind of collaborative approach that Stafford and the Rams are applying this offseason even as they negotiate a restructure to Stafford’s contract following his league MVP campaign in 2025.

Stafford, 38, is entering the final year of his deal and is due to make $40 million in 2026. While his $48.3 million cap hit is the highest among quarterbacks in the NFL for the coming season, that salary is 12th.

But as the two sides negotiate a new contract to reward his 2025 performance – whether in the form of new terms for 2026 or an extension that keeps him under contract for an additional season or two – Stafford is willing to give the Rams the flexibility they need to continue to improve the roster in search of their partnership’s second Super Bowl title.

“He’s been fantastic, not just this offseason but all the previous offseasons. He wants to win. So how can he help, how can he be part of that, and he’s done an awesome job with us in trying to help solve those things,” Pastoors said. “It does allow us to do some things, add [cornerback] Trent McDuffie and do some of those moves, because Matthew understands the mechanisms and is willing to work with you and help create that flexibility.”

McDuffie was the Rams’ big offseason acquisition, costing the team a first-round draft pick, three other draft selections and a record-breaking contract extension worth an average annual value of $31 million.

It was a deal that Pastoors – who, along with senior manager of football administration Matthew Shearin, manages the Rams’ salary cap – joked that he hadn’t budgeted for. But it was one that made too much sense for the organization – an All-Pro cornerback who sets the tone both his physicality and his attitude – at an area of need.

“He can do a lot of things that were similar to what made Jalen Ramsey such a special player for us when our defense was really operating at a high clip,” head coach Sean McVay said. “He can play into the boundary, he can play to the field, he can play in the slot, he can blitz. He’s rare. And then he’s a rare human. And that was really important.”

In addition to player acquisitions, there’s the matter of retention. Members of the 2023 draft class such as wide receiver Puka Nacua, linebacker Byron Young, defensive end Kobie Turner and guard Steve Avila are eligible for contract extensions. Pastoors said the team does prioritize keeping players that it drafted, but the team typically doesn’t agree to extensions until closer to training camp. And then of course the timing and numbers have to be right for both sides for a deal to be done.

Then there’s the matter of finding a backup for Stafford. Jimmy Garoppolo is still a free agent after spending the past two years with the Rams, and McVay said the Rams would love to have him back. But there are other options, too, such as Kirk Cousins, who worked with McVay when both were in Washington.

“I would say at this point when there hasn’t been a decision, it feels less likely than likely,” McVay said when asked if Garoppolo would return to L.A. “I know Kirk has some other options and opportunities as well. But he’s a guy that I have familiarity with, history and a lot of reverence for because of the gratitude from our experiences together.”

The Rams can work for creative solutions right now because they know they have Stafford on board for another season at least, and in him a partner willing to take his time and let them build out the roster before he finalizes his own new deal. It’s a departure from a year ago, when the Rams and Stafford actively pursued a potential trade.

“It’s been a lot smoother than last year, to say the least,” McVay joked.

Which gives the Rams flexibility through the offseason and even up until the trade deadline if the team is ready to push all its chips in.

“If there’s an opportunity to improve the Rams, Sean and Les and we will explore it. We’ve always had the support and the blessing of ownership, which is truly incredible; that unwavering support lets us act when something can help us,” Pastoors said. “I think if the right opportunity comes, we’ll be ready.”