Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is playing for $10 million on a one-year contract. If he continues his proficiency — and that will be hard to do — his next contract could be worth at least $50 million a season over three or four years, with at least $100 million guaranteed.

That’s the market these days for competent NFL quarterbacks. Darnold, who has guided the Vikings to a surprising 3-0 start headed to Green Bay on Sunday, is just 27 years old.

>> In 2019, Darnold also quarterbacked the Carolina Panthers to a 3-0 start. However, he finished 4-7 before a shoulder injury and was replaced by Cam Newton, who finished 0-5. The Panthers finished 5-12.

>> The great unknown in any week in the NFL is injuries. They can change virtually everything week to week.

>> The prudent move for Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf is to wait until the end of the season to consider contract extensions for Darnold and coach Kevin O’Connell, who has 2025 remaining on his deal at $4 million a season. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, after a devastating first-time draft in 2022, could need a superb draft in 2025 to warrant an extension. Remember, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had two years remaining on his contract when fired in 2022. The Wilfs fired coach Brad Childress in 2010 with two years left on his contract.

>> Since O’Connell has been coach of the Vikings, the team has won every game when they’ve won the turnover battle or when the turnover battle was even. That amounts to nearly 20 victories.

>> Football’s best play-by-play talent, Kevin Harlan, will work the Vikings-Packers game for CBS.

>> The Twins’ Byron Buxton, who turns 31 in December, has four years remaining on his guaranteed $100 million contract. Teammate Carlos Correa, who turned 30 last week, has four years remaining on his $200 million contract. Some baseball people wouldn’t be surprised if next season the Twins consider moving Buxton from center field to right to replace Max Kepler, the same way Kirby Puckett was moved from center to right in 1994. A move of Correa, who has slowed at shortstop due to foot injuries, to third base or first base would also seem worth considering, with Royce Lewis, 25, a possible move to first base and Brooks Lee, 23, possibility moving to shortstop.

>> Buxton has a full no-trade clause, but it wouldn’t surprise if he were to agree to a trade with home state Atlanta. For the first time in seven seasons this year, Buxton played in more than 100 games, but he had just 384 plate appearances. For 502 PA, he would have received a $500,000 bonus.

>> Those were members of Herb Brooks’ 1980 Olympic gold medal hockey champions golfing at Hazeltine National the other day. Among the 20 players who upset the Russians 44 years ago at Lake Placid. N.Y., two are deceased, Bob Suter and Mark Pavelich. The youngest player on the team — Mike Ramsey — is 63. Oldest — Buzz Schneider — just turned 70.

>> Happy birthday: Twins hall of famer Rod Carew turns 79 on Tuesday.

>> Golf hall of famer Davis Love III, in Minneapolis on Friday to help design an ancillary short course at Hazeltine, was an entertaining speaker at a Dunkers breakfast at Interlachen Country Club. Among anecdotes, he told of Tiger Woods’ absolute insistence that he play with Steve Stricker for the U.S. in the 2012 Ryder Cup that Love captained in Medinah, Ill.

>> Simley grad Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs, after going 11 for 23 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in on a recent six-game road trip, was named National League Player of the Week. The first baseman, 26 years old, for the season has 21 homers and 65 RBIs while hitting .250. Two of Busch’s homers traveled 468 feet and 453 feet.

>> Attending the Twins-Miami Marlins series at Target Field last week was Erik Bremer, son of retired Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer. Erik, 29, a Rogers High grad, just completed his seventh season as a minor league broadcaster, recently the voice of the Marlins’ Class AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Not at Target Field with the Marlins was former Gophers star Max Meyer, back in Florida recuperating from an inflamed biceps and throwing a bullpen session. The Woodbury grad who underwent Tommy John surgery two years ago finished 3-5 and will rest this winter.

>> Jim Jaros, the 1964 Minnesota state high school golf champion at Minneapolis Edison and son of former Gophers-Lakers great Tony Jaros, died the other day at age 77.

>> It was 58 years ago last week that Jim Kaat won his 25th game of the 1966 season against 13 losses for the Twins. Kaat, 85 and now a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, was 27 years old and in his prime in 1966. His 25 victories, 41 starts, 19 complete games and 305 innings pitched with a 3.73 earned-run average led the American League. For that season, Twins owner Calvin Griffith increased Kaat’s salary from $38,000 to $54,000. Kaat, a former Twins teammate of mine, laughed when he recalled the contract, then said, “Camilo (Pascual) won 20 games back-to-back (1962-63).” Disgruntled about Griffith’s ensuing contract offer, Kaat said, “Camilo cut the contract up in little pieces and sent it back. Calvin had his secretary tape it back together and send it back to Camilo.” More laughs.

>> Don Berry, 62, the head golf professional at Edinburgh USA and 17-time Minnesota PGA Professional of the Year, qualified for the PGA National Senior Club Pro tournament this weekend in Sunriver, Ore.

>> Already 2,800 tickets have been sold for the Gophers men’s hockey game Oct. 11 against Air Force at 7,773-seat Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

>> Dave Metzen, the former Gophers hockey captain who went on to become superintendent of South St. Paul Public Schools and chairman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, on Thursday received the Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence business leader award from the River Heights Chamber of Commerce.

>> Wishing the best for former Wild assistant general manager Tommy Thompson, who the other day required more than 100 stitches to his nose and mouth when attacked by a pitbull in Hastings.