The Broncos may have rented Mark Sanchez essentially for free this summer.

When Peyton Manning retired earlier this offseason and Brock Osweiler left for the Texans during free agency, Denver was left with just Trevor Siemian at quarterback. To add depth and competition, general manager John Elway traded a conditional draft pick to the Eagles in exchange for Sanchez.

The Broncos also traded up in the draft to select Paxton Lynch.

Siemian has passed Sanchez in the quarterback competition and he’s set to start his second consecutive preseason game against the Rams on Saturday. If Siemian wins the job and the team feels comfortable with Lynch as a backup, they could save money and a draft selection by cutting Sanchez.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out Tuesday, Denver’s conditional pick sent to Philadelphia is voided if the 29-year-old quarterback does not make the team.

Pick Denver traded to Philly for Mark Sanchez was a conditional pick – meaning Sanchez must make Denver's roster for Eagles to get pick. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2016

Schefter also said that Siemian is “in line” to win the starting job.

Trevor Siemian in line to become first QB to start a defending Super Bowl-champ's season opener with 0 NFL career pass attempts to his name. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2016

If the Broncos did cut Sanchez, they would be spending just $2.21 million on quarterbacks in 2016, as Mile High Report’s Ian Henson pointed out.

Broncos spend $6.621M total on QBs in 2016 (30th in NFL). Minus Sanchez ($4.5M)'s contract, spend on $2.21M on QBs: https://t.co/g37e86RfCa — The Orange Page (@theorangepage) August 23, 2016

That number would obviously go up if Denver brought in a third quarterback. Sanchez is the team’s most experienced option, and he is a good backup NFL quarterback, so there’s reason to believe the Broncos will hold on to him.

But if the team wants to save money and a draft pick, Sanchez could become a free agent before the regular season kicks off on Sept. 8.