The Las Vegas Raiders are building toward the future, and much of their success will depend on the development of their younger players. One of those players is second-year wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., who enters the 2026 season with a chance to make a bigger impact on offense.
It was a challenging rookie season for Thornton, as he played only 267 pass snaps and finished with 10 receptions for 135 receiving yards, per PFF. While it’s Year 2 for the wideout, it does feel like an extension of his rookie year, given all that went on last campaign.
Las Vegas’ wideout situation has several question marks as Jack Bech, Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, and Thornton all look to establish themselves as go-to guys for whoever is under center, whether that’s Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza.
On the June 29 edition of “Burn Factory,” Thornton revealed a goal of his for the 2026 season, noting that it’s something he didn’t do last campaign.
“I just want to go out there and play with confidence and have fun,” Thornton said. “Really, I don’t feel like I had fun last year. I felt like I was out there walking on eggshells, trying to be perfect.
“In this game, nothing is going to be perfect. In life, nothing is perfect. The thing I’ve been working on is knowing that none of what I’m going to do will be perfect, but I just need to work as hard as I can to be the best I can be in that moment.”
Dont’e Thornton Jr. Will Have New Mindset for 2026 Season
Moreover, Thornton intends to have a different mindset as he looks to put the challenging rookie season behind him.
“Like you said, it’s about being present,” Thornton added. “All I’m really worried about is going out there, having fun and being confident in myself, then leaving the rest up to God because He’s in total control of everything else, and I can’t control it myself. So I just handle what I can control and have fun.”
Raiders’ Dont’e Thornton Jr. Further Explains New Mindset
There was a lot of dysfunction in Thornton’s rookie season, given that the Raiders fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly midway through the 2025 season. Furthermore, former head coach Pete Carroll mishandled the development of some rookies.
Nonetheless, Thornton put a further spotlight on the mindset of not letting things that he can’t control get to him.
“I’d say my rookie season didn’t reflect how I felt before,” Thornton said. “The way things went during my first year made me think a lot about where my mindset was at that time, when I felt like I wanted to stop playing football. Looking back at how I felt then, I realize there was a lot of stuff I couldn’t control, so I’m not letting myself get down on myself too much for whatever happens.
“At the end of the day, even the best players have moments that aren’t their best. It felt like I had a number of those moments this past season. But now I can look back at those times, understand what I need to develop, and use those lessons to make myself better this year. That’s all I’ve been doing.”
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