THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Russ has spoken, and now Seahawks need to trade him

Russ has to go.

No question, no argument, no way back.

When Russell Wilson went on national TV and threw the entire Seahawks organization under the bus — not to mention his own offensive line — he wasn’t just tossing around some random thoughts.

He was saying that the party’s over, and he wants out.

Naturally, Russ always has that “nice guy” manner of conveying something unpleasant while kind of being polite at the same time.

The perfect description of Wilson’s public persona came from former teammate Brandon Marshall, who said that Russ is looking for “a classy way out.”

Sorry, big guy, once you rip your teammates and basically demand a seat at the table in making organizational decisions…

You’ve gone too far for rehab.

There’s no “classy” card left to play.

Bottom line: The Seahawks have to do what once was unthinkable, and unload Russell Wilson.

The only question now is how to get it done.

IF YOU have some sympathy for Wilson, and perhaps agree that he’s needed more weapons and more protection, fine.

That’s a fair argument, but…

It’s an issue that Russ should have brought up behind closed doors — not on the Dan Patrick Show.

Russ tried to make his points diplomatically, since that’s the good guy image he works to project, but Patrick has been around the block too many times.

The host needed a little effort to do it, but he basically got Wilson to admit that he’d like to be traded.

It didn’t come out in those exact words, but we all got the message.

We can save the debate on how many of those 493 sacks over nine seasons were Wilson’s own fault — and maybe go over the breakdowns another time.

At this point, they don’t really matter.

Once a quarterback publicly blames his blockers (and by extension, his receivers), he’s taking his teammates and the entire organization to task.

There are rumors now that Seahawks management is unhappy with Russ hanging out such dirty laundry — and you can hardly blame GM John Schneider, coach Pete Carroll, and even owner Jody Allen.

Wilson has chucked them ALL under the bus.

It was a crude and disloyal way to demand a trade, a legitimate idea that could have been discussed in private.

But now that Russ has insulted everyone connected with the Seahawks, there is no road home.

So where can he go?

And how?

A LOT has been written and debated about Wilson’s contract.

You’ve probably heard two things…

First, that Russ has a no-trade clause, which means he’d have to approve any deal.

Second, that as a holdover from spreading out his signing bonus over three years, the Seahawks would take a cap hit of $39 million in dead money if Wilson is traded.

However, there’s actually a way to make that second problem less onerous.

If Wilson is traded after June 1, the dead money against the cap becomes just $13 million for 2021 – with $26 million pushed into the future.

Then there’s the other obvious puzzle…

Could the Seahawks find a trade partner willing to take their star quarterback — and three more years of a fat contract that trends upward from $35 million per year?

Oh, and by the way, any deal would likely need to involve a quarterback coming in the other direction.

There are teams like Indianapolis and New England, built to win now, with excellent personnel and plenty of cap space — but no quarterback that could interest the Seahawks.

You’re going to hear the Cowboys and Dak Prescott mentioned a lot, but I think there is a more logical destination.

Someplace outside the NFC, to boot.

SAY HI to Las Vegas, where quarterback whisperer Jon Gruden might welcome Russ with open arms — not to mention that we’re talking a show biz location for Wilson’s wife Ciara?

The Raiders probably would be willing to move Derek Carr for a shot at Wilson, but I like Marcus Mariota as a true dark horse candidate in this picture.

The former No. 1 pick is still just 27, and he looked outstanding in a relief role for Las Vegas last season.

There’s never been anything wrong with Mariota, other than a “wrong-place, wrong-time” situation in Tennessee.

Even better, Mariota is set to make just a tad over $10 million in 2021, and surely would be willing to have a deal extended if he played well in Seattle.

It would be a contract far less painful than Wilson’s, by the way.

Remember, the Seahawks are returning to the ball control, play-safe offense that Carroll always has loved.

Moving Wilson, the riverboat gambler, in favor of a talented QB who’s willing to buy in to your project…

Yes, it would work.

Plus…

If Seattle took Mariota in an apparent one-sided trade, Schneider could ask for plenty more in terms of current players and draft capital.

Sure, I’m going WAY out on a limb by suggesting Vegas as a destination.

I don’t think it’s off target, though, to say that Russ will have to go.

He’s pretty much said it himself.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.

Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published each Tuesday.