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Did Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones lose money coming back to school in January?

The question will be asked repeatedly in the coming months and is particularly timely Tuesday, with J.T. Barrett reclaiming the starting job at Ohio State.

Jones turned down the NFL after his surprising three-game audition last season that resulted in a national title, choosing instead to stay at Ohio State for the 2015 season.

Barrett was widely considered the better fit for Ohio State’s offense, but coach Urban Meyer stuck with Jones as the starter for the first seven games. Now even Meyer can’t deny any longer than Jones is holding the Buckeyes back.

“J.T. has earned the right to start Saturday at Rutgers,” Meyer said Tuesday on a conference call.

Although he’s completing 62 percent of his passes and has more touchdowns (seven) than interceptions (five), Jones has disappointed this season.

And not because he’s regressed, rather because he looks exactly the same as last season, making the same mistakes and failing to show much improvement as a passer. There is no questioning Jones’ physical tools with his well-built frame, top-shelf arm strength and the mobility to move the pocket or pick up chunk yardage with his legs when needed.

However, his game lacks sophistication.

Jones has the same cannon and confidence throwing downfield. He’s failing to read defenses and locking onto targets – issues that were obvious on his 2014 tape. Where he has really struggled is a lack of anticipation and timing.

Studying his film, Jones waits for targets to get open before throwing the ball as hard as he can so it arrives before the defender.

He needs refinement with his footwork, internal clock and overall accuracy to all levels of the field.

Plain and simple, he’s extremely raw.

Maturity has been another trouble issue with Jones over his collegiate career so his reaction to a demotion will be something scouts watch closely. Despite being a top-five finisher in the Heisman voting last year, Barrett, who is over two years younger than Jones, accepted his back-up role this season and showed a team-first attitude.

Will Jones do the same?

So back to the original question: how much money did Jones lose by returning to Columbus?

Probably not much.

No one can say for sure, but Jones likely wouldn’t have been a first rounder last season – not off of three encouraging, but average performances. And his draft projection for the 2016 class might be even tougher to peg, but given his physical traits, he’s probably still in the 2nd-to-4th round range.

While an earlier draft pick is obviously better and means more guaranteed money, there isn’t a huge drop-off between the 50th selection in the draft ($4.5 million, four-year contract) and the 90th selection ($3.3 million, four-year contract).

Sitting Jones is probably for the best, not only for Ohio State’s offense, but also for his long-term future.

Jones’ skill set is ideally suited for a vertical offensive attack, utilizing play action and running the ball between the tackles, which then opens up options on the outside. The approach similar to what the Buckeyes showed in 2014 once Jones took over at quarterback.

But the play-calling, tempo and personnel this season hasn’t matched that design and doesn’t fit what made Jones effective in the past.

So while perception will be Jones lost money by returning to school, the reality is he looks like the same player we saw in the inaugural College Football Playoffs.

The only difference?

Expectations.