Jalen Hurts gifts Merrill Reese a pair of signed cleats because he ‘saw it when no one else could’

Jalen Hurts and Merrill Reese are two Philly legends.

Hurts still has a long way to go before he’s on the same level as Merrill, but he’s well on his way. Reese has seen so much Eagles football during his time in the booth. He’s seen the lowest of lows, as well as the highest of highs.

2020 was one of those lows, but in Merrill’s eyes, there was hope, and it came in the form of Jalen Hurts.

During a recent appearance with JAKIB Sports, Reese revealed that he was gifted a signed pair of cleats from Hurts this offseason. On the cleats the Eagles QB shared a poignant message: “To M. Reese, you saw it when no one else could. – Love Always.”

Jalen Hurts is a real one for this

Jalen Hurts gifted legendary #Eagles broadcaster Merrill Reese a pair of signed cleats: “To M. Reese, you saw it when no one else could. – Love Always.”

Merrill Reese has been a Day 1 believer in Hurts and has always defended him through the years.

( via @JAKIBSports ) pic.twitter.com/gk75ptY1Dt

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) July 27, 2025

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To his credit, Merrill was one of the only Eagles fans who believed in Hurts from the beginning. He Tweeted this right after Hurts’ first start in 2020 against the New Orleans Saints:

A true Day 1, @mreeseeagles 🫡 https://t.co/H6gCavRZIc pic.twitter.com/9NntyAUAzZ

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) July 27, 2025

As much as Hurts swears he doesn’t pay attention to media noise, he’s not stupid. It was pretty obvious no one in Philly really believed in him at first; that still persists to this day in the national media space.

He knew what he was capable of, and Merrill saw the vision almost instantly.