Sometimes teams mortgage the future to win now. But if you want to be in contention for longer stretches, you are more strategic.
For example, you don’t extend Judon because he probably has less in the tank than he thinks. That move could sacrifice wins now (or win shares) because either he holds out and you start a lesser player, or he doesn’t play as hard. There are many decisions like that, and most won’t be optimized to win the most games NOW, because you really want to line things up for Maye’s ascendancy.
The coaches and players are trying to win every game. But roster construction is a long game, and you can’t sell the farm to win in the near term without sacrificing the future. You could trade 4 future 1st rounders for a #1 wideout for this season. You’d certainly win more games. Should they? No, because even with that player, they aren’t a playoff contender, and Drake isn’t ready.
Again, you trade the pick and get a handful of premium picks in return. You trust your GM not to whiff on them. There are no guarantees, but premium picks build a winning roster, if the guy doing the picking is good.
Look, you can’t tell me they don’t have a realistic expectation of where this team is going to finish. Barring some miracle, the Pats finish near the bottom of the league again. They aren’t tanking, but they aren’t pretending they are contenders either. If a surprise happens, sure the strategy changes, but they’d be fools if they are gearing up for a playoff run.
So, the roster is constructed with an eye toward sustained contention, and Mayo tries to win every game with what he has.