The Dallas Cowboys signed safety Barry Church to a four-year contract extension worth $12.4 million with $3.9 million guaranteed, a source who has been briefed on the deal said Friday.
Daniel Jeremiah identifies five enticing battles to follow in Week 8, including DeSean Jackson vs. Asante Samuel.
More ...
Church, who tore his Achilles tendon in Week 3 this season, received a $2.5 million signing bonus. Church has started just four games in his NFL career, but the Cowboys view him as a future piece of their secondary.
Church was placed on injured reserve in September, but the team was happy to give him a new contract.
"That's awesome," Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said about Church's deal.
"This guy -- and all you guys saw it -- he's going to be a superstar in this league," Ryan gushed Friday. "You get a guy early, and he comes out of that injury healthy, and this guy is going to be a fantastic safety. So it's real unfortunate, I think I shed a few tears on that one when we lost him for the year. I think it's one of those things you do have to get over, but it's fantastic for the Cowboys' organization, and hopefully I can be a part of his career for a long time."
The Cowboys host the New York Giants on Sunday in a pivotal NFC East matchup.
Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @rapsheet.
