Is Matt Lauer going from ‘The Today Show’ to ‘Jeopardy!’ in 2016?

There have been all sorts of interesting rumors surrounding Matt Lauer as of late, including that he may be replaced from “The Today Show,” that the majority of viewers view him negatively, and now, we have talk all about a game show.

According to the New York Post, Lauer is currently being looked at as one of the future candidates to host “Jeopardy!” once longtime host Alex Trebek’s contract is up in 2016. The general consensus among many is that Trebek will retire, and the studio behind the show in Sony Pictures TV wants to ensure that they spend all of the time necessary in order to find a worthy successor who will combine a love for trivia with a personality and natural communication skills.

The timing here could work out rather well, given that Lauer’s own contract with NBC expires in 2015, and should they decide to move on with a new host after watching the aftermath of the Ann Curry fiasco, this is an easy way for him to land on his feet and also potentially work another job to go along with. Meredith Vieira for many years hosted “Today” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in syndication, so this can be done. “Jeopardy!” does travel more than “Millionaire,” though, and he could be more interested in taking on a gig that more appeals to his news sensibilities.

One other candidate that has recently emerged is Anderson Cooper, who may have additional time on his hands now that his daytime talk show “Anderson” has been officially canceled. These are both big names, and Sony is likely aware that if you are to replace a living legend like Trebek, you have to make sure it is with someone who can do the job.

Do you think that this move would make a little bit of sense for Lauer? If you want to see what he said recently about the Ann Curry exit in a new interview, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: NBC