It is no secret, the Seattle Seahawks are flirting with the idea of selecting a quarterback in April's NFL Draft. 

Head coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks' brain trust went on the quarterback tour of the century that took them from Ohio State to Alabama and eventually Kentucky. All the travel in pursuit of the quarterback who can define the franchise for the next decade. 

During the NFL combined, Carroll wasn't coy about Seattle looking at quarterback prospects despite having Geno Smith under contract for the next three seasons. And if recent reports are any indication of the direction the Seahawks are heading in, Seattle may even trade up to take the quarterback of their choosing early in the first round. 

Tony Pauline at Pro Football Network was early on the quarterback projections for the Seahawks, speculating that Seattle may try and leapfrog other teams to get the quarterback Carroll desires. 

“Speculation from league insiders during Florida’s pro day is the Seattle Seahawks could be the team that leapfrogs the Indianapolis Colts and trades up with the Arizona Cardinals to secure Richardson.”

That speculation was only validated by a report in The Athletic that indicates Seattle is serious about the move it is planning to make for a quarterback.  Take a look at what Vic Tafur at the Athletic had to say:

“The buzz is that the Seahawks will jump from No. 5 to No. 3 to grab either Richardson or Levis, as Stroud and Young are expected to go 1-2. The Cardinals can move down to No. 5 and still get the top defensive player."

If Seattle opts to jump up in the draft to get its hands on Anthony Richardson or a quarterback similar, it would be a move that indicates the front office sees Smith as a bridge more than an answer. 

Either way, all of the trade news remains speculative. But where there is smoke, there is often fire.