FOXBORO — Days before the Patriots kicked off this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season, I was on the phone with Eliot Wolf.

Through the team’s PR staff, Wolf had agreed to a brief interview about the state of the team. I thought it important for the Patriots’ new front-office head to be on the record about how he viewed his roster and its potential before the games began. Mindful that the Patriots then owned the best odds of finishing with the NFL’s worst record, I asked Wolf about tanking.

“I think tanking cheats the game,” he told me. “(We) would never get in a situation where we think that’s the right way to go. That’s not what the NFL is all about. That’s not what pro football is all about, and that’s not what we’re gonna be about.”

Four months later, as expected, the Pats hold next year’s No. 1 overall pick in the palm of their hand. Wolf’s words suggest the Patriots plan to release their grip Sunday, when a loss to Buffalo would clinch the top pick and a win drop them to third or fourth in the draft order. Jerod Mayo confirmed as much Wednesday, saying he’s only focused on beating the Bills.

Boo. But here’s the thing about tanking: it’s all about branding.

In that same interview, Wolf explained how the Patriots’ new draft-and-develop philosophy would shape the upcoming season. This philosophy, which he learned as a young executive in Green Bay, dictates snaps are prioritized for young players in Year 1, even if doing so shaves percentage points off the team’s win probability.

“I would expect this year, we will be getting younger as the year goes along, as opposed to the other direction; whether that means through attrition or injury or whatever,” Wolf said. “I think everyone (knows) we’re trying to win now, obviously. But there is an eye for the future, and developing this core of players that we maybe haven’t had the last couple years.”

So, tell me: aren’t we just splitting hairs here?

Tanking is an ugly word, sure. It invokes thoughts of a team quitting; deliberately punting on its present to hasten the arrival of a more hopeful future. But organizations tank, players don’t. Players can’t half-ass their way through the 65-70 plays of orchestrated violence over an NFL game. It would be dangerous to themselves and their teammates.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) stands on the sideline next to Eliot Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, during the first half of a NFL preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 in Foxboro. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Teams can, however, deploy players like former seventh-round picks, Isaiah Bolden and Jaheim Bell, down the stretch of the season. They can hand more snaps to undeserving receivers like Ja’Lynn Polk, who’s sunk to historic rookie lows this season, and Javon Baker, whose own coaches admit he doesn’t know the offense. That’s what the Patriots have been doing.

Now it’s time to double down. Bench Drake Maye for most, if not all, of Sunday’s season finale for the only draft pick who’s yet to see a regular-season snap: Joe Milton III.

Because what would a win over the Bills’ backups compare to clinching the No. 1 overall pick? And forget the selection itself. The moment the NFL regular season ends Sunday night, that pick becomes one of the most prized trade assets in the entire league; more valuable than Pro Bowl-caliber veterans and even a few All-Pros.

If the Patriots can stoke a bidding war between just two quarterback-needy teams drafting behind them – the Giants, Titans, Raiders and more – Wolf can add a future first-round pick, perhaps an extra second-rounder and more in any trade for the price of sliding back a few spots in the top 10. Then, armed with those extra picks, the Pats can either stockpile blue-chip talent or tender a godfather offer in another trade for a No. 1 wide receiver or starting offensive tackle; players who only spring free nowadays on the trade market or via the draft – assuming you can identify develop them.

So, do it. Commit to the tank.

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Team leadership has laid enough groundwork to sell this move as doubling down on their draft-and-develop philosophy instead of tanking. The staff knows what it has in Maye, but not Milton. And there’s only one way to find out.

Wolf said the Patriots intended to get younger as the season progressed. We’re about to reach the end.

Mayo told us on the eve of training camp that success this season meant identifying which players could become foundational pieces of their rebuild. They can check that box with Maye.

Mayo added before Wednesday’s practice that Maye would start this weekend on one condition: “If he’s healthy and ready to go, as we go through this week of practice, then he’ll play.”

Oh, and look at this.

The Patriots just listed Maye on their latest injury report.

He’s dealing with a new right hand injury.

How about that?