THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: No Julio in Seattle, and maybe no Russ in 2022

Russell Wilson intends to be gone after this season.

I’m going out on a limb here, and maybe I’ll wind up with 2+2=5.

But I don’t think so.

I really don’t.

There has been plenty of guesswork about Wilson’s future, mostly because of all the off-season hoopla — Russ whining about getting hit too often, his lack of input in team personnel decisions, yada, yada.

But now we know for sure.

He thought he could outlast 70-year-old Pete Carroll, and he couldn’t.

You’ll recall that the Seahawks were window-shopping in the wide receiver aisle, and no surprise here…

They had taken a fancy to Julio Jones.

Not sure if they brought a wallet and that Amex gold card on that shopping trip, but they were definitely looking.

Sadly for the Seahawks and their attempt to assemble one of the best three-man receiving groups in history, the Julio Jones display suddenly was sporting a giant sign that read…

SOLD!

Imagine the surprise of the Seattle brass when they discovered that the Tennessee Titans had snagged Jones for a second-round pick in 2022, along with an exchange of lower picks — almost exactly what Seattle was offering.

OK, maybe Atlanta was willing to eat more of Jones $38 million salary over the next three years.

Maybe.

Maybe Jones has lived and played his entire life in the South and he loves humidity.

TO PUT it another way — a more financial look — perhaps the deal was set up in a way that Atlanta left Tennessee less on the hook for salary cap money than they would have for Seattle.

It wasn’t a birthday gift, so it was something else.

Maybe there’s more to it, and we’ll know in time.

Perhaps the Seahawks were more nervous about Jones' age (32) and recent injury history.

Maybe.

It seems more likely, though, that a 70-year-old coach trying to scoop up one more Super Bowl, would ask his quarterback to be honest with him.

“If you like (new offensive coordinator) Shame Waldren’s approach, Russ, will you stick around to be the leader of this team?”

Silence.

So where exactly DOES Wilson fit into this Julio Jones scenario?

Just a week ago, back-to-back ESPN reports indicated that the Seahawks were talking seriously to Atlanta about Jones — and at the same time, Wilson was chatting with Jones about making beautiful offense in Seattle.

What did Russ actually say?

HOW HARD did he pitch Julio Jones?

Russ: “Come to Seattle and we’ll have the greatest passing game in history.

Julio: “How long you planning to stay there, man?”

Russ: “Not sure, but Ciara and I have dreams to own Carnegie Hall.”

Julio: “Stay in Seattle, and you can get really involved with the Jimi Hendrix thing.”

Russ: “But to get huge in music…?"

Julio: “Are you kidding me, man? Nashville, Tennessee. I can’t wait. Sorry, Russ, but Jimi’s dead and Nashville is rockin’ alive.”

OK, it COULD have been something like that.

Maybe I’ve grown too cynical about Wilson, and his continual mention of his “legacy.”

I’m sorry, but curing cancer earns you a legacy.

Defeating climate change would give you a legacy.

Winning one Super Bowl and chucking away a second one is more like part of a pretty solid career, but…

Legacy?

Nah

And you know what?

Here’s one thing I’d bet on…

Russell Wilson will be taking snaps someplace new in 2022.

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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 monthly during the offseason.