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On Smith: “I’m really optimistic he’ll be out there.”

On Gilmore: “Is there a realistic chance to count on him? The answer is yes. We’ll count on him.”

After last Sunday’s NFC East-clinching win over the Commanders in Washington, Jones seemed to leave the door ajar when addressing McCarthy’s future in Dallas by saying “we’ll see how each game goes in the playoffs.”

Tuesday he was more resolute in his support of the coach that has led the Cowboys to three 12-win seasons, two division titles and three playoff berths in the last three years.

“I don’t know how I could be any clearer: Mike is under contract next year so it’s not an issue,” Jones said. “I’m very pleased with what he’s done. He’s the big difference this year. This is the start of the playoffs, so we wouldn’t be sitting down talking contract. The last thing you want to be doing at this time of year is talking with him about agreements or extensions.”

Jones also acknowledged that Cowboys staffers such as Dan Quinn and Will McClay are getting interest from other NFL teams.

“We’ve received several (letters of request) already,” he said. “We’ve got a handful, and we might wind up with 15 or 20. We can’t be discouraged by that. It’s what happens when you have success. It’s part of it.”