As Herm Edwards once tactfully pointed out, you play to win the game. There's no question that every player goes into the season with optimism that their team can win games and coaches have too much at stake in terms of job security to outright tank from Week 1.
Still, there are things that a general manger can do to already have an eye on the 2025 NFL draft. It's the front office's job to maximize their team's window for success. Sometimes that means working towards improving future positioning rather than the current roster.
This idea also includes teams who have been stuck in neutral for too long.