The Bloomberg administration is considering such a delay because it doesn't want to create competition for the city's ambitious Hudson Yards project on the Far West Side, where developers are still seeking anchor tenants to help get large office towers off the ground.
Mr. Lauer, who has occupied the "Today" co-anchor chair since 1997, has become a stabilizing force over the last decade, especially through the show's sweeping anchor transformations on the female side, from Katie Couric to Ann Curry, who took over for Meredith Vieira in June.