Sean Payton would rather give up the Golden Jubilee 775-carat diamond than that Cheesecake Factory massive menu-sized offensive game plan sheet he totes on the sideline.

Diamonds are forever, though. Calling plays is not, though.

Payton has been a National Football League play-picker for more than a quarter century. But the Broncos’ brilliant mature head coach appropriately determined that the play-calling headset should be bestowed to a younger man with a bright mindset and skill set.

Payton protégé Davis Webb officially was named the Broncos’ new offensive coordinator recently, but the head coach proclaimed Tuesday that the former backup quarterback of all three New York state pro franchises will decide the team’s plays for Bo Nix and the Broncos in the 2026 season.

Webb will have a hard act to follow. Since taking over as a bona fide play-caller for the first time midseason with the Giants in 1999, and eventually continuing the role with the Cowboys, the Saints and the Broncos, Sean has led his offense to No. 1 overall in six seasons, the top 10 in offensive categories 18 times, 20 postseason games (with a .500 record) and a Super Bowl championship.

However, Payton’s play-calling has been interrupted on four occasions previously – with the Giants in midseason of 2002 as he was demoted, when he tore an MCL and broke his leg after being run over during a game in ’11 and was restricted to the press box and gave the duties to an assistant, in 2012 when he was suspended for a season for “Bountygate” and after the ’21 season when he briefly retired to TV.

However, one of Payton’s best calls was to a driver en route to Denver International Airport in January 2023. Payton had interviewed a newly retired Webb for the position of Broncos quarterback coach. After Webb’s departure from Broncos headquarters at Dove Valley, Payton told GM George Paton he shouldn’t have let Webb get away. The hired driver got a telephone call to bring back Webb.

Now, Payton, who was 35 when he first was an NFL play-caller, has replaced himself with a 31-year-old wunderkind who soon will be a head coach somewhere else unless Davis waits to be Sean’s successor.

Webb and his laptop computer have been constantly attached to Bo Nix the past two seasons when the Broncos’ offense wasn’t on the field. The QB coach has gotten much of the attention and responsibility for the fast development of Nix in his two seasons. But the Nix ankle injury was a bad Broncos blow before the AFC Championship.

Sean has absorbed the blame for odd play choices during the season and in the loss to the Patriots and has admitted the Broncos can’t survive the plethora of close outcomes again.

 The coach finally focused on the future.

His first signal must come after the Broncos’ August game against the Cardinals. The coach called a significant play: Let Davis do the play-calling.

For anyone who has forgotten, the Broncos with Webb making the offensive decisions won easily 27-7. Sure, the Cardinals are in a hapless pit and were playing backups in a meaningless game, and the Broncos were utilizing reserve quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger and a slew of youngsters and backups.

Yet, the Broncos’ B-team was particularly outstanding. In 11 possessions, the Broncos scored three touchdowns and added two field goals, had one missed kick, a fumble, two punts, one drive ending on fourth down and the last possession eating up the end of the game. The Broncos had drives of 97 (on the opening possession), 88, 70 and 65 yards. The two quarterbacks completed 30 of 39 passes for 395 yards, and the running backs accumulated 167 rushing yards.

Webb weaved an imposing web, and Payton was impressed. They began the first of several discussions about a potential play-calling possibility. Sean has become the mentor to Webb as Bill Parcells was to him.

In September, the headline on my column stated: “It’s time for coach Payton to turn over offensive play-calling duties.”

Payton has emphasized that he will still be involved in all areas of the offense — and the defense and the special teams and everything else Broncos-centric — and will recommend or demand specific offensive plays, but he can concentrate more on the big picture instead of small snapshots while Davis develops as a shining diamond offensive coordinator.

Payton made the right call.