The Las Vegas Raiders made a bold decision last fall when they welcomed legendary quarterback Tom Brady as a minority owner of the franchise. This partnership has already paid dividends, as Brady was a key cog in the team landing head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.
Under the tutelage of Carroll and Spytek, the team has acquired major roster upgrades like quarterback Geno Smith and running back Ashton Jeanty. They also landed 10 other players during the 2025 NFL Draft, many of whom are garnering a ton of hype during the preseason.
On Friday, Brady made a guest appearance in Las Vegas at the Raiders' training camp practice. It was his first public appearance with the team since joining as a minority owner, and he was decked out in Raiders gear to boot.
Tom Brady taking notice of Raiders rookie Dont'e Thornton Jr.
Brady obviously made the effort to hang out extensively with Spytek, his former Michigan teammate and a key reason why he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the team's new minority owner also reportedly spent extensive time talking with prized rookie wideout Dont'e Thornton Jr.
According to Nick Walters, Thornton's conversation with Brady was longer than others, and Brady has liked what he's seen from the fourth-round rookie thus far. This surprises nobody in Raider Nation, who have been watching the hype rapidly build around Thornton all offseason.
A video of Thornton catching a deep pass from Geno Smith during training camp was posted by the Raiders' official social media accounts earlier this week, and fans went crazy getting to see him in action. He beat fellow rookie Darien Porter to get into the end zone.
Darts to Dont’e 🎯#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/k8YZkkYRbi
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 28, 2025
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Thornton spoke to the media on Monday, and according to the Silver & Black Sports Network's Jesse Merrick, he admitted that the speed of the game was difficult to adjust to initially. This comment is a bit funny, considering Thornton has been dominant since being drafted and runs a 4.30 40-yard dash.
Aidan O'Connell and the quarterbacks, however, had no quarrels, even initially, about Thornton's ability. He told Merrick that the quarterbacks spoke in the group chat early on about how they felt Thornton could be counted on right away.
It is difficult for Raider Nation not to get too far ahead of itself, considering all the hype around Thornton. But beat writers and team personnel joining in is one thing, and the greatest player to ever pick up a football is another, and it sounds like Brady has given Thornton a stamp of approval.