Neal Dahlen has no advice for George Paton.

Dahlen, the Broncos’ general manager from 1999 to 2001, has been out of the NFL for nearly 20 years. Now 80 years old, he worked in two of the most successful front offices in football in his career, spending his first 17 years with the 49ers (1979-1996) and winning five Super Bowls, and his last seven years with the Broncos (1996-2003), winning two Super Bowls. He’s won more Super Bowls than any player, coach or front office executive in NFL history. 

Still, Dahlen doesn’t have any words of wisdom for the Broncos’ newest GM. 

“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t feel comfortable giving advice to anybody,” said Dahlen, who resides in Aurora. “During my time in Denver, I can’t say there was anything we did that was unique except hard work and study.”

Paton will be the Broncos’ fifth GM since Dahlen stepped down in 2001 and handed the reins to Ted Sundquist, who was the GM from 2002-2007. Sundquist was fired and Jim Goodman took over for the 2008 season before he was let go and Brian Xanders was named the GM in 2009. Then of course John Elway stepped into the GM role in 2011, which he’s held for the last 10 years. And before all of them was John Beake (1984-1998), the most successful GM in franchise history. 

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Paton could probably learn a thing or two from each of them, but maybe none more than from Dahlen, who posted a 25-23 record in his three seasons as GM. In many ways, the two entered similar situations as both waited their turn to be GMs for 20-plus years and were handed the keys to a historically successful franchise from historically great GMs in Elway and Beake, who led the organization to their three Super Bowl victories. 

“I’ve worked in this league for almost 25 years now, I’ve always appreciated this iconic franchise that Pat Bowlen has built,” Paton said during his introductory press conference Tuesday. “The championship tradition, the passionate fan base and all the resources they have to win year in and year out.”

But those resources haven’t resulted in many wins the last five years, as the Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015 and have four consecutive losing seasons — the longest drought since 1963-1972.

One of the biggest reasons for that lack of success has been because of the quarterback position. Since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2015, the Broncos have yet to find their guy at QB. Paton will now be given that task just like Dahlen was in 1999 when Elway retired. 

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And if anything hasn’t changed since he was a GM, it’s the importance of having a great quarterback. 

“My only experience up and until that point was with three quarterbacks: Joe Montana, Steve Young and John Elway. With those kind of quarterbacks, it’s different,” Dahlen said. “Looking back at it, when we were able to get (Jake) Plummer, that was probably the best attempt at replacing (Elway). It wasn’t actually a similar quarterback, but he was a very good one and I thought he was about all you could expect to get. In this day and age when there’s been a lot of really good college quarterbacks come out — the Chargers’ quarterback and of course (Patrick) Mahomes and the rest of these young ones — you get one of those and then you’re fine. 

“I think it’s always been the same in pro football — you have to have a quarterback. The teams that continue to win Super Bowls always seem to have a good quarterback — a real good quarterback. But if you don’t have it, then you’re continuing to look for one.”

Paton has acknowledged that the Broncos’ need to find its franchise quarterback and has yet to say that it couldn’t be Drew Lock.

But Paton’s timetable to find that quarterback and bring the Broncos back to their former glory may be shorter than expected. While he signed a six-year contract and Denver appears to be committed to long-term development, today’s NFL wants immediate success. 

“The patience level maybe isn’t as long. Your time to develop is a little shorter before they fire the coach and try it again,” said Dahlen, who stepped down as the Broncos’ GM after the 2001 season and moved into an advisory role. “From the standpoint of ownership having patience, I can’t comment on that because I’m not in it anymore, but I do think it varies from team to team. Eventually in this business, it looks like everybody gets fired anyway — it’s just when it happens. Mike Shanahan was Pat Bowlen’s coach for life and he got fired.”

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It would seem the Broncos are going to give Paton time, but nothing is guaranteed in the NFL — just ask Goodman and Xanders, whose tenures as the Broncos’ GM were two of the shortest in franchise history. And that’s why Paton can learn from each of the last five who came before him.

From Elway’s early success and ability to land a superstar in free agency, to Xanders’ and Goodman’s quick downfalls as they were given little control of the team from the start, to Sundquist’s aggressive blockbuster trade in 2004 when he dealt Clinton Portis for Champ Bailey, to Dahlen’s pursuit to replace Elway and understanding of when to walk away. 

But above all, what Paton can take away is the importance of putting his stamp on the franchise while listening to those around him. 

“It was gratifying and I’m sure it will be for (Paton), too,” Dahlen said. “I always felt in my experience as the GM of the Broncos that there were so many people around me that were experts in what they did, so I kept doing what I did and didn’t try to meddle with anybody out of my department that had a expertise themselves.

“You do that — trust in those around you and in yourself and your beliefs — and I think you’ll find your job to be a lot easier.”