The 612,000 people who follow Tyler Lockett on Instagram know his two very different sides: One is the record-breaking Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, highlighted by his feed of game-day action shots and custom cleat pics. The other is the deeply spiritual 29-year-old who quotes Bible verses and posts poetry. 

But on March 30, Lockett introduced his Instagram fans—and 210,300 Twitter followers—to a brand-new persona: Tyler Lockett, real estate agent. 

To be clear, Lockett is still very much dedicated to his football career (after all, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks last year worth $69.2 million). But he's already thinking about his passions beyond the field—and when his playing days are done.

"It was something I kind of always wanted to do the last couple of years," Lockett says of his foray into real estate, noting his penchant for HGTV. "I thought it'd be a great idea to do it now while I'm still playing football rather than trying to wait, because sometimes when you're done playing football, people just say, 'Thank you for what you're doing, and good luck to your next endeavors.' I'd rather be able to start my second career while I'm still playing."

Real estate, he adds, is a "great way to be able to make a difference in the lives of people."

On March 31, one day after he announced he'd completed the 90-hour real estate agent coursework and passed his national and Washington state licensing exams, Lockett posted his first home listing on his website, Liv N Serve Real Estate. (For the record, no, it wasn't Russell Wilson's Bellevue mansion.)

By April 7, the five-bedroom, $3.25 million house in Sammamish was pending. "Not everybody starts off with their first listing being over $3 million, so for me to be able to start off with that is a blessing."

Lockett doesn't do anything small. He plans to build and expand Liv N Serve teams in Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, and maybe even Arizona. Texas real estate classes (180 hours of them) are up next.

Until then, Lockett says he's devoted to growing in his second profession. His first listing taught him the art of negotiation—"it's not about you winning, but it's about your client winning"—and also about listening to and learning from his clients. "Sometimes we think they care about all these other things that may come with a house, and all they really care about is having a realtor ask them about their needs."

As for just how Lockett plans to juggle his intense, travel-heavy job as an athlete with his budding career in real estate, well, he doesn't see it as a problem. Staging, marketing, inspections—once you solidify those initial connections and get into a professional routine, he says, it's not difficult to keep things rolling. Even home showings can be done virtually, Lockett notes, with him being able to have conversations with clients and negotiations with other agents over the phone or via text.

He sees everything he does in real estate right now as an addition, foundation setting for when he's done playing football. And, most definitely, a defying of expectations.

"You might have some people who may be upset or may feel some type of way because, you know, as an athlete, you are stepping into a whole other career path where people might feel like you're stepping on their toes," Lockett says. "But at the end of the day, I'm just trying to be my best self, and trying to be great at everything that I've been blessed to have...so I can't get caught up in the positive and negative feedback."