Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has some more details on the contract extension signed by S Barry Church with the Dallas Cowboys:

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.

The contract would seem to be an example of why players enjoy playing for Jerry Jones and why the Cowboys often find themselves in tight cap positions most seasons. Church is currently on IR with an Achilles injury and has started a total of 4 games in his 3 year career.  Set to be a restricted free agent the Cowboys would have essentially controlled Church’s right for the next season at a price tag no higher than about $2.5 million, none of which would have been guaranteed.The Pittsburgh Steelers for instance refused to give their star wideout Mike Wallace, a far superior talent, an extension this year instead forcing him to play on the RFA tag for $2.742 million.

While the full details are not known of the base value of the contract or structure of the guarantees, an annual value of about $3.1 million would seem to be a big win for an injured player that had no leverage in his negotiation. S Eric Smith of the NY Jets received a $2.18 million per year extension with $1.5 million in full guarantees in 2011, starting 10 games for the club in the prior two years. Smith is older than Church, but that would seem to be closer to the market than what the Cowboys decided to do here.