A couple of years ago, the Seahawks made a deal with Cleveland for a quarterback after the season had begun. With the trade deadline coming Tuesday, might the Seahawks consider doing it again?

Charlie Frye is no longer with the Hawks, but perhaps they can get a better quarterback from the Browns this time.

Eric Mangini, who somehow is on his second coaching gig in the NFL, has said the Browns are “not looking to move Brady Quinn,” their 2007 first-round pick who was benched after just three starts this season. But that doesn’t mean they won’t listen to offers.

Having traded Braylon Edwards to New York last week, might the Browns be interested in trading Quinn for a wide receiver? If so, the Seahawks have a guy they probably wouldn’t mind dealing for a potential quarterback of the future. So how about sending Deion Branch to Cleveland for Quinn?

Many people wanted the Seahawks to draft Mark Sanchez this year to be Matt Hasselbeck’s heir apparent. And they’ll want the Seahawks to try to draft someone like Mark Bradford or Colt McCoy next year. Well, what about Quinn instead?

Quinn could be a cheaper, more experienced option as Hasselbeck’s heir. Seneca Wallace is not the future; that should be clear to everyone by now.

Quinn is an accurate passer who is stuck on a bad team. The biggest knock on him is that he does not have a strong arm. Well, Hasselbeck doesn’t have the biggest arm either, but his accuracy more than makes up for it in Seattle’s offense. Quinn could probably develop well in the Seahawks’ system.

“What about Mike Teel?” some might ask. If Teel were better than Quinn, he would not have been around in the sixth round. If the Hawks could get a guy like Quinn, it would be a no-brainer to dump a rookie project like Teel.

“What about Quinn’s contract?” others might ask. He is signed through 2011 and scheduled to make $700,000 in each of the next two years. That’s a perfect salary for a QB in training.

Hasselbeck and Wallace are both signed through 2010, and Hasselbeck’s play this season will go a long way toward determining whether the Seahawks want to give him another contract extension. They might let him play it out next year. If he still has trouble staying healthy, Quinn might be an NFL-ready successor. And if Hasselbeck does stay healthy and continues to play at a high level, the Seahawks won’t have given up much to get him.

Quinn is a more high-profile version of Hasselbeck, who was drafted in the sixth round by Green Bay in 1998 and spent three years behind Brett Favre before Mike Holmgren acquired Hasselbeck in a 2001 trade. There is so much to be said for a quarterback learning the NFL without getting beaten down. Quinn already has gotten a taste of it with six starts, and he could sit behind Hasselbeck for the next season or two and actually learn how to play in the NFL by watching a guy who is very good at it.

The Browns don’t seem to want Quinn, despite Mangini’s claims to the contrary. They probably would be happy to take anything they can get for him. But if they didn’t want Branch, the most the Hawks should consider surrendering is a second-rounder.

The Seahawks probably have no interest, but they should. Trading Branch for Quinn would be a very good move for the future of this team.