You may be waiting with bated breath for the Super Bowl, but there’s one competition starring your favorite spandex-wearing gridiron gods that you may have forgotten: The Trulia Real Estate Super Bowl Showdown!
Here’s our hard-hitting look at the property prowess of the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots — who will come out on top in the real estate game?
The quarterbacks battle it out! Tom Brady (Patriots) vs. Russell Wilson (Seahawks).
FACEOFF #1: Quarterbacks Tom Brady vs. Russell Wilson
Tom Brady is a unicorn. The man is a perfect specimen. University of Michigan–educated, model-level gorgeous, and possibly the best quarterback in the history of time, he’s also got enough real estate to make Donald Trump jealous.
Tom and his picture-perfect wife, Gisele Bündchen, recently high-tailed it to the suburbs of Boston, leaving behind their luxe spread in the Back Bay neighborhood.
The couple was constantly spotted walking down the Commonwealth Mall and taking their kids to the playground on the Esplanade, because, you know, they’re just like you and me.
But back in 2012, the Brady Bunch put their swanky Back Bay spread on the market, and sold it for $9.2 million.
After leasing it back from the buyer while their new mansion in the ritzy suburb of Chestnut Hill, MA, was under construction, the fam made the big move to the 14,000-square-foot estate with five bedrooms, a swimming pool, a library, a yoga studio (Gigi loves to get her downward dog on), and a wine cellar.
And then there’s also the Bradys’ Los Angeles spread, an estate so big, they never even lived in it. They just kept it in their back pockets for a few months and sold it off to Dr. Dre. Because we all sell our spare properties to hip-hop moguls, right?
Russell Wilson and Tom Brady clearly live different lifestyles. Just 26 years old, Wilson is newly single after divorcing his wife last year. He joined the Seahawks in 2012, but is already a fan favorite — known for his entourage of lifelong friends and daily tweets featuring biblical scripture.
Wilson also likes to hang around his house with his two Great Danes. No, seriously. This guy really loves his dogs. We couldn’t find out much info on Russell’s real estate portfolio, but it looks like he spends a lot of his time off the field at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, which is just as sweet.
But unlike the ‘hawks who came before him (aka Matt Flynn), Russell needs to beef up his real estate portfolio. You see, Matt had a hot, four-bedroom house in Issaquah, but once Wilson showed up, Flynn took off for Oakland, CA — putting his home on the market for $1.39 million. (It sold for $1.33 mil.)
The seven-acre spread, which had the whole “rustic mountain lodge” vibe down to a T, also had a spa-inspired master bedroom and a man cave that would have any dude (or lady, for that matter) itching to hang out and shoot a game of pool. Sounds like Russell needs to bring his A-game on the field into the real estate market.
WINNER: Tom Brady. (Always and forever.)
Who’ll take the title? Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) vs. Richard Sherman (Seahawks)
FACEOFF #2: Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski vs. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman
Back in December of 2013, Gronk sold his Tampa, FL, mansion for $2 million, nearly half a million dollars more than he paid for the home the previous year, according to local press.
The three-story mansion, which we’re sure hosted plenty of (yo soy) fiestas, was located in the Westshore Yacht Club, because it can’t get any better than imagining Gronk in a yacht captain’s hat.
The manse came complete with a wood-paneled elevator, custom-built fish tanks, and a casino-style security system. What do you wanna bet he had one of those circular, rotating beds and a lava lamp or two?
We’re not quite sure about the deets on Rob’s home up in Massachusetts, but wherever it is, we’re going to guess it features zebra-print sheets and maybe even a bearskin rug. Hey, at least we know his digs are better than ex-Patriot Aaron Hernandez’s, which currently include bars and a cement floor. (That’s jail, if you haven’t read the news.)
Over in the Pacific Northwest, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has quite the luxe pad himself. This summer, Sherman purchased a property in nearby Maple Valley, WA, from NBA star Jamal Crawford, valued at $2.31 million.
Don’t you love how celebrities and athletes always seem to buy real estate from each other? It’s like this really small club that we normals will never be invited to.
Anyway, Casa de Sherman features an indoor swimming pool, a beauty salon (maybe that’s where Sherman gets his perfect-coiffed locks?), private decks for every bedroom, a hot tub, and stone fireplaces, Cover32 reports.
Unfortunately, word is that superfans have been showing up outside Sherman’s home ever since he moved in last year, causing quite a bit of trouble for the Stanford University alum, who is known for his outspoken personality. On Twitter, Richard’s girlfriend sounded off regarding the unwanted guests, so we’re hoping things have quieted down since then.
By the way, Sherman does have a tight endorsement game going right now. He’s the face of Campbell’s Chunky Soup, alongside his mother, Beverly. Now, that’s swagger.
WINNER: Richard Sherman. (Because, beauty salon.)
While the two teams may have scored evenly in this Real Estate Showdown, we won’t have to settle for a tie when the Pats and the Seahawks rumble in Arizona come February 1.
There will, however, be a performance by Katy Perry — and we’re guessing lots of celebrity fans in the stands. After all, the Pats have stars like Chris Evans, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Tyler, John Krasinski, Elton John (an honorary team captain), Maria Menounos, Elizabeth Banks, and Mark Wahlberg rooting for them.
And the Seahawks have … Macklemore and Chris Pratt.
