In 1997, Sean Payton and David Shaw were Philadelphia Eagles assistants and shared an office. Now they’re back together.

The Broncos on Thursday hired Shaw, a former Stanford coach who took the Cardinal to three Rose Bowls, as senior personnel executive. He will work in the front office evaluating college and pro talent with general manager George Paton and will be reunited with Payton, entering his second season as Denver’s head coach.

“He and I shared an office, so we sat next to each other every single day,’’ Shaw told The Denver Gazette about being a quality control assistant in his first NFL job while Payton was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach. “I just remember how smart he was, how dedicated he was, how hard he worked and how the players responded to him. That was my first opportunity to be around him, and those things have never changed.”

Shaw, 51, was Stanford’s coach from 2011-22 and prior to that spent nine years as an NFL assistant. He interviewed last year for the Broncos’ coaching job that went to Payton and that’s when he met Paton for the first time.

“I got to know George Paton pretty well during that process and we just stayed in touch and this offseason we talked about different things, and I thought there might be a role maybe I could fill a need for the Broncos,’’ Shaw said. “It’s a very good opportunity. … I’m very excited to be back in the NFL with some great people.”

From 1997-2005, Shaw was an offensive NFL assistant with the Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens. Shaw, a former Stanford wide receiver, then returned to college coaching and took over at his alma mater in 2011.

Shaw went 96-54 with the Cardinal, going to eight bowl games, winning five. He went to three Rose Bowls, winning two. Shaw, the only four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year ever, resigned after the 2022 season, saying he “wanted to take a break.”

Shaw did interview with the Broncos shortly after his resignation. But the job went to Payton, whom Shaw had continued to keep in touch with since their days with the Eagles.

“There was never any hard feelings about not getting a job in my opinion because you want to hire the right person at the right time and I knew that was Sean Payton,’’ Shaw said. “But at the same time, it was a great opportunity for us to forge a relationship and that interview (with Paton) was a big reason (for being hired Thursday).”

As to whether down the road, Shaw wants to remain an NFL executive or get back into coaching, he said he’s “taking one day at a time” and has “never taken a job looking for the next job.”

Shaw will maintain his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. He will join the Broncos for training camp in late July.

“I think they’ve got a really exciting young team, retooled from last year and they did a great job in the draft, and I’m looking forward to watching it first hand,’’ Shaw said.

When Shaw was at Stanford, his Cardinal in 2022 faced Oregon, led by quarterback Bo Nix, taken by the Broncos with the No. 12 pick in the April draft. In a 45-27 home win by the Ducks, Nix completed 16 of 29 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a career-high 141 yards on eight carries with two touchdowns. One touchdown was on an 80-yard run.

Shaw long has been regarded as a keen evaluator of talent. He has served as a guest analyst during drafts for NFL Network over the past decade.

“That’s always been one of the things that I really enjoyed, whether it’s evaluating high school players for college or college players for the NFL,’’ Shaw said. “So that part of it is natural.”

While at Stanford, Shaw coached 42 players who were selected in the NFL draft, including six first-round picks. One of his notable former players is defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who was selected by Buffalo in the third-round of 2018 draft and is now with Minnesota.

“He is awesome,” Phillips told The Denver Gazette. “A very natural fit for the NFL. I really couldn’t say anything bad about him. Thankfully I was able to have 3 1/2 years learning from him. He will do great.”

Other Stanford players coached by Shaw include former Valor Christian High School star Christian McCaffrey, the No. 8 selection by Carolina in 2017 who is now the NFL’s top running back with San Francisco, and tackle Cam Fleming, a fourth-round pick by New England in 2014 who spent the past three seasons with the Broncos. Fleming is now a free agent.

“He’s out there in case anybody needs him,’’ Shaw said. “Still willing to strap it up. So, if someone needs an emergency tackle, I know he’ll be ready.”

It remains to be seen if that team could be Denver. But Shaw will have plenty to say about talent evaluation in his new role with the Broncos.