Now that he has a contract extension in his possession — a four-year deal that could be worth up to $113 million — star left tackle Christian Darrisaw is looking to take the next step in his career.

What does that look like for him?

Though he’d obviously like to continue his ascension among the best players at his position, Darrisaw is also trying to push himself to grow in an area outside of his comfort zone.

“I feel like the next step for me is my leadership role for this team,” Darrisaw said. “Just being a better leader and being more vocal for all my guys.”

That doesn’t come naturally for Darrisaw. He’s a reserved person at his core and has long preferred to let his play do the talking.

That said, head coach Kevin O’Connell has slowly started to see Darrisaw come out of his shell as of late, and he’s excited to see even more of that moving forward.

“The progression and upside of a player like Christian has been on full display with his impact on the game,” O’Connell said. “There’s so much room for him to grow in multiple facets of the game, and he’s more excited about that than anybody.”

Asked about Darrisaw taking on a bigger leadership role, star right tackle Brian O’Neill mentioned how Darrisaw is locker mates with rookie left tackle Walter Rouse at TCO Performance Center. That should give Darrisaw an opportunity to take Rouse under his wing with relative ease.

“He’s going to do a great job with that,” O’Neill said, while adding that Rouse is actually sandwiched in between he and Darrisaw. “We were joking around with (Rouse) this morning, like, ‘You nervous?’ ”

The mentorship from Darrisaw will also extend to practice on a daily basis. Whether he’s helping Rouse learn some of the fundamentals in the trenches, or he’s letting rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner pick his brain about potential counters moves, Darrisaw plans on making himself available

“Just let the guys know right from wrong,” Darrisaw said. “Somebody might take a bad step or something, or they might mess up on a play, I can go up to that guy and be like, ‘Yo. This is how we do it.’ ”

The steady growth of Darrisaw has been on display since the Vikings selected him with the No. 23 pick in the 2021 draft. He quickly established himself a force to be reckoned with up front, and now he’s in position to finish his career with the Vikings.

As for the contract extension that made that possible, Darrisaw credited the front office for the Vikings, as well as his agent Drew Rosenhaus, emphasizing that getting a deal done right before the start of training camp will allow him to focus on the task at hand.

“I can just play football now,” Darrisaw said. “I ain’t got to worry about nothing. Everything is taken care of. I can just go out there and do my job.”

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The depth at cornerback continues to get tested for the Vikings with training camp in full swing.

After going down with a leg injury on Thursday afternoon, veteran cornerback Shaq Griffin still has not returned to practice. He watched from the sidelines on Saturday afternoon as fans descended upon TCO Performance Center for the first time in training camp.

Asked about Griffin, head coach Kevin O’Connell emphasized that the Vikings will be cautious with him. Though it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious, Griffin will likely be asked to do a lot this seaosn, so the Vikings don’t want to rush him back by any means.

“We’re kind of monitoring him,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully we can get him back sooner than later.”

Ironically, Griffin got hurt while intercepting a pass during 11 on 11 drills. He broke on a ball over the middle with reckless abandon and hauled it in before coming up lame. The recovery process for Griffin will be determined by vice president of player health and development Tyler Williams.

The absence opens the door most notably for young cornerback Akayleb Evans as well as Andrew Booth Jr. Both players have taken some reps with the starers with veteran cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. playing on the opposite side of the field and safety Josh Metellus spending a lot of time in the slot.

What is O’Connell looking for out of players like Evans and Booth?

“Just turn it loose,” O’Connell said. “I talk to our guys a lot offensively about shooting their shot. It’s the same thing on defense. Just go try to make a play.”

There will be even more chances for the rest of the cornerbacks to stand out next week when the pads go on.

There’s also a pretty good chance the Vikings decide to add another player to mix to create more competition.

There are certainly some interesting names available on the open market.

“I do think we’re probably going to need to add at that position just purely to make sure we have enough of a headcount in that room to handle the rep load,” O’Connell said. “There could be some impact players out there that might be interested in joining our team, and that’s what (general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) and his staff are working through right now.”

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At the Ordway Concert Hall on Friday evening, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nyttu Chongo brought together traditional sounds from Mozambique with Western classical music instruments in a concert titled “Phulani” (Open), that felt like a joyful experiment. With a rotating cast of classical musicians, Chongo’s music demonstrated deep knowledge of African music even as it forged new connections and boundaries.

Chongo made his way to Minnesota in 2016 and put out his most recent album, “Libandzuwa: The Power of the Sun,” back in 2021, after receiving a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. At the Ordway, Chongo mostly played songs from that album, and one or two new ones that he’s hoping to put out for his next release. From personal meditations on family and home to songs that touched on social and political issues, Chongo shared music that dreamt of better futures. His work grappled with pollution, global education and a raw response to the murder of George Floyd, titled “The Willow (9 Minutes, 29 Seconds).”

Chongo played several instruments himself, including a majestic-looking lute instrument called a kora. Chongo had the instrument set on a stand and almost straddled it as he skillfully plucked and strummed its 21 strings. He also played numerous different types of an instrument called an mbira, or a thumb piano. The most unusual of these seemed to be built inside the body of a guitar, sans the neck. Chonga would reach into it and furiously pluck the instrument at breakneck speed.

Often while playing, Chonga sang with a bright, energetic voice. He’d tell stories as well and joke with the audience. At times he’d whistle and make a trumpet-like sound with his lips. In more internal moments, he’d hum with an intense shamanistic energy.

When not playing solo, Chongo invited a handful of instrumentalists on stage with him. Among them was cellist Steven Schumann, who arranged the music for the chamber set-up. Schumann’s playing often carried a light spirit, dancing along with Chongo in tripping experimentation.

Violinist Sophia Butler, who also joined Chongo for his Cedar Commissions performance in 2022, played with a tender melancholy in a duet with the composer.

The fusing of the different musical traditions sparked threads of discord and a touch of pandemonium. A chaotic rhythmic relationship between the strings and Chongo’s instruments made for a restlessness in a number of the songs, particularly in “The Willow” piece.

Chongo’s wife, Erin Olson, joined the group for “Gwalanini,” a piece whose sparse, poignant lyrics she co-wrote. The work takes its name from Chongo’s native language, Changana, and it means “sow the seeds,” or “plant.” The lyrics draw on words by Mozambican novelist Mia Couto, who writes that there are only “two nations: that of the living and that of the dead.” The song is about humans’ and plants’ shared connection as living beings. Olson sang the piece beautifully.

Chongo calls his genre of music “jazz bantu,” and there seems to be rich possibilities in what he’s trying to achieve. His small ensemble of musicians were playing at new conversations between vastly different musical styles, and time will tell where this direction will go. Perhaps more instruments — like additional percussion and maybe even wind and brass — will enrich this type of music further.

A Metropolitan Mosquito Control District helicopter spraying for mosquitoes in Anoka County was allegedly struck by a golf ball at The Refuge Golf Club in Oak Grove on Friday, officials said.

The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.

The golf ball allegedly struck and slightly damaged a helicopter under contract by MMCD, MMCD Board Chairman Fran Miron said. The pilot was able to safely return and land the helicopter, Miron said, and there have been no reports of injury.

The MMCD uses low-flying helicopters to apply a product containing a natural soil bacterium, or a mosquito-growth regulator, to wetlands and large areas of standing water, according to the MMCD. The treatment kills larval mosquitoes, preventing them from becoming adult mosquitoes.

“Safety is a top priority for us, and we are just really pleased that the helicopter was able to land safely,” said Miron, who also serves on the Washington County Board. “That treatment application is a very dangerous business because they fly so low, and they’re flying amongst trees.”

In 2016, a Bell 47 helicopter under contract by the MMCD exploded after it crashed into a detached garage in south Maplewood. The pilot, Michael Kramer of St. Charles, Minn., died at the scene.

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