THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Believe what you want when Russ returns Monday night

Pete Carroll claims it’s just another game.

Russell Wilson insists that he loved every minute of his time in Seattle, and no …

He really didn’t want to leave.

You may not need me to tell you this, but neither of these gentlemen are exactly telling the truth.

I’m hesitant to use the word “lying,” because everyone in sports (and society in general) fudges the facts when it’s convenient.

Pinocchio would have made a great politician.

So, yeah …

Pete, his players and Wilson are all lying about this looming match.

And in Russ’ case, he’s right on the edge of honesty about his desire to get out of Seattle.

He says he loved the place (true), that it means so much to his family (true), and he treasures the philanthropic work he did in the area (true).

However, now we run into some horse hockey.

Russ disputes the notion that wanted to be traded, or that he needed out of Carroll’s run-first offense, mostly because he wants to fire the ball around and achieve some personal goals — like being named the league MVP.

Oops.

Ding, ding, ding.

In that infamous national TV interview that Wilson conducted on the Dan Patrick Show following the 2020 season, he referred to his personal “legacy” so many times that he sounded like he was talking about a dead war hero.

THE TRUTH is that Monday night’s collision between the Seahawks and Wilson’s new Denver pals means damn plenty to both sides.

There was always going to be a ton of hoopla when the NFL announced that the Broncos would be visiting Lumen Field for this season’s first Monday night game.

The whole “he-said, she-said” surrounding Wilson’s trade to Denver was bound to be churned up again — with some new twists to raise the temperature by game time, surely.

The highlight (if that’s the right description) of this past week was the release of a long, in-depth ESPN story that chronicled the unseemly divorce between Wilson and the Seahawks — and all the events leading up to it.

Reporter Brady Henderson managed to get access to people close to Wilson (his infamous “camp”), but also to some members of the Seahawks’ front office, who naturally insisted on anonymity.

A trove of pretty ugly stuff bubbled to the surface in a few of those conversations.

For instance, the revelation that Seahawks execs began to suspect two things about their franchise quarterback …

First, that he was a declining asset — still a good player in his early 30s, but a QB whose trademark mobility was fading fairly quickly.

That alone would suggest a trade, moving Wilson while he was still a hot commodity rather than waiting until his value decreased.

Trading Wilson when they did gave Seattle a chance to truly rebuild via the draft — assuming they can find a new quarterback (or win without a “name” QB, as some NFL people feel that Carroll would love to do).

THE SECOND item on the Seahawks’ move-Russ list was a belief that their star was playing more for himself than for the team.

Naturally, you remember that 2020 season, or the year that Carroll agreed to “Let Russ Cook.”

Wilson was on fire early in the season, a front-runner for his coveted MVP award.

But then, well, here’s what we find in the ESPN story …

“Wilson's lead on winning his first MVP in 2020 quickly faded when the prolific early stretch gave way to the worst turnover funk of his career.

“Wilson committed 10 over the next four games, and with their defense also faltering, the Seahawks went 1-3.

“One of Wilson's seven interceptions in that stretch came in a loss at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10. Trailing by a touchdown, he scrambled to his right and had a massive swath of empty turf in front of him. He bypassed the rushing yards, uncorking a deep heave back across the field that was picked off in the end zone.

"‘What are we doing here?’ one source in the Seahawks front office remembers thinking at the time. ‘Are we trying to win games or are we trying to win MVP?’’

YOU CAN find plenty more snippets in that story, a few of which we’ve already heard as the seasons have passed.

There was Wilson’s camp getting hot about GM John Schneider attending Patrick Mahomes’ pro day at Texas Tech back in 2017 — and Josh Allen’s pro day a year later.

Then came trade discussions with Cleveland about Wilson in ’18, more fodder to incense the quarterback.

Ironically, everyone in the Seahawks organization agrees that the one person who stood by Wilson again and again was …

Pete Carroll.

The coach (who has the final say on all personnel decisions) didn’t want to trade Wilson, and even in the final moments before they pulled the trigger with Denver, Pete had to be talked into it.

So, now all these incendiary elements come together on Monday night.

Wilson absolutely wants to have a career night.

And the Seahawks?

They’re all taking Carroll’s advice to treat it as another game — or saying that they are, at least.

“We’re going to be absolutely jacked about the game and excited to play,” Carroll said, “but we have to maintain our mentality so we can perform at our best. Getting all crazed and whacked out, for one reason or the other, is not in line with how we think or operate around here.”

He means it.

But …

When asked what kind of reception Russ might receive from the fans on Monday night, Pete let his guard slip just a little.

“You’re either competing or you’re not,” Carroll said. “I’m leaving it up to the 12s. It’s game time, and we’re going for it.

“We’ll see what happens. I’ll leave it up to the 12s. I think they’ll know exactly what to do.”

Hoo, boy!

Good luck calling audibles, Russ.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season, beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”