The Las Vegas Raiders are trying to instill a culture within this franchise, one much better than the failures of cultures we have seen from this team for so long now.
Hiring former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager John Spytek should only help instill a culture that comes from winning teams. But, to do that, it takes more than just the people that you don't see on the field. It also takes the players buying into that, and getting players on the team who have the values that match your team's.
They made sure to add players with those same values. And they especially made sure to add players who are just good people. One of them, as we know, is a rookie.
"You're definitely going to see a big and fast receiver that can stretch the field, and play inside or outside receiver. But the biggest thing you won't see on the field is the fact that I'm a great person," Dont'e Thornton Jr. said to Zach Gelb a few months ago after he was drafted. "With me joining the team, the team would be adding a great person on and off the field. So, I would say that's something that people would get to know after some time."
#Raiders new WR @IamDTJ11 is too funny man.
And he made sure to give every fan in attendance a high five. Gotta love this dude pic.twitter.com/OtzG0hiY4P— Justin Churchill (@ChurchillAtoZ) June 9, 2025
And, his actions have backed that statement so far. The kid is a delightful interviewee; he gives insightful and thoughtful answers and is always smiling. He's funny, as we found out on Media Day, and he seems to have quite the head on his shoulders.
And then at Media Day, he probably won over the fan base entirely, and especially the fans who were in attendance. After he was done talking to JT The Brick, Paul Guttierez, and Hall of Famer Eric Allen, he went to the section that had all of the fans and made sure to give all 30 of them, if not more, a high five.
You never know, as a pro athlete, what that can do to a fan, especially the kids. DTJ seems to be legit when he says he's just a good dude.
