Daniel Jones' awkward benching must serve as a somber reminder for Jaguars fans

Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Daniel Jones have become the subject of comparison due to their similar production over the past three seasons. However, their situations couldn't be much more different.

Whereas Lawrence remains the long-term answer behind center for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones has tumbled down the New York Giants depth chart and finds himself as QB4 just one week after being the starter. All things considered, the Jags haven't reached that level of dysfunction.

Following their BYE, New York announced that it's benching Jones. That in itself isn't particularly shocking news. Jones has struggled throughout the year and is only 3-13 since signing a four-year deal worth $160 million in 2023. What's been puzzling is the way the Giants have handled the situation.

Instead of relegating Jones to a backup role, the G-Men made him the fourth-string quarterback behind Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, and the recently acquired Tim Boyle. To add insult to injury, the coaching staff had the 2019 first-round pick playing safety while wearing a non-contact red jersey on the scout team. However you want to break it down, that's not a great look. But wait! There's more.

The Giants made Jones awkwardly stand in front of reporters following his demotion and discuss his role in the team's 2-8 record this season.

Based on how they've dealt with the situation, it looks like the Giants are doing anything they can to prevent Jones from getting hurt. At first sight, this seems to be a noble move that takes his health into account. However, the sole reason may be to ensure he stays healthy, so they don't have to pay him $23 million in injury guarantees if they release him in 2025.

The Jaguars would treat Trevor Lawrence the way the Giants dealt with Daniel Jones

The truth is that the way the Giants have dealt with the Daniel Jones benching is far from graceful, which brings us to the next point, just how bad are the Jacksonville Jaguars under owner Shad Khan? Not nearly as dreadful as other NFL teams.

Make no mistake, Khan hasn't been nearly as involved with the team as he should be and his football acumen has left much to be desired. That said, the Jaguars aren't nearly as bad as other NFL franchises such as the Giants, the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys, or even the Washington Commanders when Daniel Snyder was the owner.

For one, Khan isn't cheap, unlike Jerry Jones, who'll wait until the very last minute to pay his franchise players. Heck, the Giants or the Raiders will be hesitant to reward their own players. Meanwhile, the Jaguars owner will spare no expense to acquire free agents or to make a massive investment in remodelations for TIAA Bank Field.

Similarly, Khan knows he doesn't have the expertise to make football decisions. He'll leave that to other people, even said people have failed to consistently replenish the roster. On the other hand, Woody Johnson would routinely veto moves former general manager Joe Douglas wanted to make. Khan wouldn't do such a thing.

You can also say what you want about Khan as an owner but he's far from impulsive. While he's patient to a fault, often granting more time and opportunities than his head coaches and executives deserve, he isn't known for making rash decisions like other NFL owners do.

This isn't to say that Khan is a flawless owner. He isn't, and Jaguars fans deserve a better on-field product. Having said that, you know darn well that he wouldn't make Trevor Lawrence stand in front of reporters to talk about his benching.

That should be a reminder that things aren't nearly as bad as they seem, even if they don't look great right now. One look at how the Giants have handled the Daniel Jones benching is proof of it.

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