John Elway helping John Lynch succeed as 49ers’ GM

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So how soon will John Elway call John Lynch to talk trades?

The Broncos’ general manager laughed during an interview this week: “Actually, he just beeped in while we were talking,” Elway said. “So I’ll return his call once I get off the phone with you.”

It’s not surprising that Lynch is calling Elway these days. No, not to ask about trades, but to pose this question: How do I do this?

Lynch, 45, is the 49ers’ just-hired general manager with zero front-office experience. And the only current GM who can relate to his current situation is Elway, 56, who was a greenhorn NFL executive when he joined Denver in 2011.

Those 49ers fans who view Lynch’s inexperience with skepticism will be encouraged by his parallels to Elway, one of his closest friends.

Both Elway and Lynch played football and baseball at Stanford and were drafted in both sports. They each played at least 15 seasons in the NFL, won a Super Bowl, were voted to nine Pro Bowls and finished their careers with the Broncos.

Now, Lynch hopes to mimic Elway’s success as an executive.

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway speaks during a retirement announcement for quarterback Peyton Manning at team headquarters Monday, March 7, 2016. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Denver Broncos general manager John Elway speaks during a retirement announcement for quarterback Peyton Manning at team headquarters Monday, March 7, 2016. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Photo: David Zalubowski, AP Photo: David Zalubowski, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close John Elway helping John Lynch succeed as 49ers’ GM 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Broncos are 67-29 and have won five AFC West titles and a Super Bowl since Elway was hired. They had endured four straight nonwinning seasons before his arrival.

Elway knows from experience that it will take time for Lynch to grasp the administrative procedures and policies, but the primary focus of Lynch’s job is identifying talent. Elway says Lynch is uniquely qualified for the role after spending the previous 24 seasons in the NFL as a player or broadcaster.

“It always takes some time, but the key thing about him is he knows football, he knows football players,” Elway said. “He’s been there. He’s played on championship teams. He knows coaches. He knows what he likes in coaches. To me, a player becoming a GM has an advantage over someone else that hasn’t been in the game because they have that feel. ...

“The thing that he’s got that ultimately makes GMs good at what they do in this league is football knowledge. What do they know about football and how to put football teams together?”

During his broadcasting career, Lynch expressed an interest to Elway in his front-office job. Elway responded by giving Lynch some informal training to see if it was a potential career.

In 2012, he asked Lynch, a former safety, to evaluate college safeties and compile draft reports on the prospects. In 2013, Lynch attended draft meetings, evaluated players and went to the combine with the Broncos.

“It exposed me to the process and how this thing works,” Lynch said. “Really, as a player, you think people know, but (players) are never in the (draft) room. So it was the first time I got an inside look at how it worked.”

Elway’s assistance didn’t stop when Lynch was hired by the 49ers.

Last week, on Lynch’s second full day on the job, he hired Denver director of college scouting Adam Peters as his vice president of player personnel. Elway acknowledged he probably wouldn’t have allowed Peters out of his contract to join any other team besides the 49ers.

“Probably not,” Elway said. “... He’s very good at what he does and I hate losing him, but I also know that it’s a great opportunity for him as far as the responsibilities that he was going to gain in San Francisco. But also I know that he’s going to be able to go and help John.

“If it was anyone else, I probably wouldn’t have, but I know it’s a great opportunity for Adam and he’ll be a tremendous help to John.”

On Thursday, Lynch added another key adviser to his staff by hiring former Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew, 51, the only member of the 49ers’ personnel department with GM experience. Mayhew, Peters and holdover Tom Gamble, the 49ers’ assistant general manager last year, will provide valuable counsel to Lynch as he finds his way.

In fact, it’s possible Lynch will make his biggest impact early in his tenure as a charismatic, well-respected figure who provides credibility to a franchise coming off a 2-14 season. It’s a role Elway, who spent his 16-year career in Denver, provided the Broncos after they went 4-12 in 2010.

“That’s one of the things, especially right now, that John can bring,” Elway said. “His history. His background. What type of man he is. The way he works. The reputation that he has. There’s no question that will help the 49ers. I will say this: That’s always a short timeline because they’re going to expect results.”

For all the similarities between Elway and Lynch, it’s worth noting Elway, unlike Lynch, had experience as a football executive before joining the Broncos: Elway had spent six seasons as the GM and co-owner of an Arena Football League team.

However, Elway noted Lynch’s pre-executive background is also useful: He has spent the past eight years touring the NFL as a Fox analyst.

“I think one good thing that Johnny has that I didn’t have is he’s got a lot of relationships because he’s been in TV,” Elway said. “He’s got those relationships already with other GMs in the league to where you can work with them and vice versa. That’s one thing where he’s way ahead of me when I started. I just didn’t have those relationships.”

Lynch clearly has a strong relationship with at least one GM.

In fact, they might be talking right now.

Staff hires: The 49ers announced the hiring of six assistants: Bobby Turner (running backs); Rich Scangarello (quarterbacks); Jon Embree (assistant head coach/tight ends); Nick Kray (administrative assistant to head coach); T.C. McCartney (offensive assistant) and Ray Wright (head strength and conditioning).

Head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to keep Tom Rathman, the 49ers’ running backs coach since 2009, on the staff in another capacity.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch