Matt Lauer to Remain at Today Show For $30M?

Matt Lauer has softened his position about leaving the Today show in December at the end of his contract ... if NBC will pay up big time, that is.

The sexy beast currently earns $17 million a year. Negotiations are currently ongoing that could net Lauer could as much as $30 MILLION a year.

That will make a lot of people soften positions about retiring, we would have to imagine. But was Lauer's change of heart motivated by something else?

Some say Lauer changed his mind about leaving when network execs showed interest in Ryan Seacrest as a replacement ... and got jealous.

Others say Lauer wanted to re-sign all along and is merely using the end of his current deal and his plan to possibly leave as a tactic to get paid.

Either way, he's about to do pretty well for himself.

Today makes roughly $450 million a year for the network - more than any other show on NBC - so in that context, $30 million for Lauer?

Not a steal for NBC, but probably a worthwhile investment.

[Photo: WENN.com]