A certain Kansas City football star just bought a multimillion-dollar mansion in Kansas allegedly over privacy concerns as he dates a really famous pop singer-turned-box-office-sensation.
We speak of course of two-time Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce, whose recent purchase is being billed as “a desperate bid for more privacy surrounding his newfound romance with Taylor Swift,” according to Page Six.
The Chiefs tight end, 34, closed the deal Tuesday, TMZ first reported, and is set to become the proud new owner of a nearly 17,000-square-foot home in a private gated community that boasts six bedrooms and eight bathrooms — because $6 million goes a really long way in the Ad Astra State where the median sale price for a home is $258,700. (Compare that to $780,000 in star-studded California, $952,000 in Los Angeles and $760,550 in New York City, according to real estate website Redfin.)
Previous reports indicated that the home was located in Kansas City, but the sprawling pad is actually a property in Leawood, Kan. The sale is still pending, according to the property’s Redfin listing.
The property, built in 1998, is said to be perched on three acres of land and has a “Beverly Hills”-style pool area with a waterfall, a tennis and pickleball court and a miniature golf course, the New York Post reported. Honestly, we’re disappointed it doesn’t have a “seemingly ranch”-style layout, but it does have a six-car garage and wine cellar. The home was originally listed in September 2022 for $6.9 million, and the pending sale price listed on Redfin currently stands at $5,999,950.
TMZ reported that the NFL star upgraded because he needed more privacy as Taylormania ramps up around him. Apparently, his old place was too accessible and was becoming a “mini tourist attraction” as his romance with the “Anti-Hero” and “Girl at Home” singer heated up. Fans and paparazzi reportedly staked out his address when Swift paid him a visit there earlier this month.
“His former humble abode just wasn’t cutting it when it came to impressing his new love interest, Swift,” the Post said Thursday. “Insiders revealed that Kelce was feeling a tad ‘self-conscious’ about his relatively modest pad and decided it was time to take things up a notch. The reason? Winning over the heart of Swift, who is no stranger to the world of luxury. It seems Kelce wanted to match the grandeur of her lifestyle, and this new residence might just do the trick.”
Um, ever tried smiles and flowers instead?
The Post reported that the luxury purchase also aligns with the football star’s recent pay raise. The tight end’s salary reportedly jumped from $2.9 million in 2022 to $11.2 million this year. Plus, he’s taken part in several high-profile endorsement deals, with brands including Pfizer, Nike, Bud Light and State Farm.
The “Welcome to New York” singer-songwriter, of course, lives primarily in the Big Apple — and Kelce was seen leaving that pad over the weekend. The 12-time Grammy Award winner is something of a real estate investor, with roughly $150 million in real-estate holdings, according to a May estimate in the Wall Street Journal. Swift has bought and sold several properties in Nashville, Beverly Hills, Rhode Island and the United Kingdom.
Swift, 33, and Kelce have been palling around for the better part of a month after the football star revealed in late September that he “threw the ball in her court.” Kelce took in the “Blank Space” singer’s record-breaking Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium, and Swift caused a full-on media frenzy with her appearances at the football star’s games. (The Taylor effect even got the “Saturday Night Live” treatment last weekend, with Kelce getting in on the action last minute.)
Although they haven’t directly said a whole lot about their relationship status, the pair repeatedly stepped out together while holding hands and packing on the PDA last weekend — and while notching those guest-appearance spots on “SNL.”
On Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, which Kelce co-hosts with his older brother and fellow NFL player Jason Kelce, the siblings also addresssed a viral moment from Kelce’s weekend outing with Swift in which he appeared to “push” a security guard.
“I didn’t push him, I placed my hand on the gentleman’s back to let him know I was behind him. If I would’ve pushed him, he probably would’ve turned around and tased me,” said the younger Kelce.
“That sounds like a way that somebody who pushed somebody would describe pushing them,” Jason Kelce quipped.
Swift’s new beau added that he tries to be chivalrous on dates.
“I feel like whenever I’m on a date, I’m always like having like the sense of like I’m a man in the situation,” he said. “I’m protective for sure — you always kind of have that feeling or that self-awareness.”
And some of that self-awareness has extended into his wardrobe, with the football star addressing some of the fan feedback about his “Taylor’s curtains” sartorial selections.
Times staff writer Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
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