The short list has been drawn up should the internal investigation find Brian Williams needs to be replaced.
The list, which includes Lester Holt, Carl Quintanilla and Willie Geist, leans heavily on younger talent at the Peacock Network.
“They’re going to need to replace him with someone who has at least 15 years left [in his or her career],” one 30 Rock insider told The Post.
The move would appear to rule out Matt Lauer, who, at 57, seems destined to remain on “Today.”
Monday, however, many news industry sources said Lauer would be the perfect replacement. Sources say Lauer was consulted for his opinion Monday on the spot.
Given his many years at “Today,” Lauer could bring his morning audience into the evening broadcast, some industry analysts posited.
Among the three internal candidates, Holt, who is currently sitting in for Williams during his self-imposed leave from the “NBC Nightly News,” seems to have the inside track.
CNBC host Quintanilla, who anchors financial show “Squawk on the Street,” is also being thought of seriously within 30 Rock for the slot.
“Today” news co-host Willie Geist, who joined the show from MSNBC, appears to also be in the running for the anchor slot.
“They need to be thinking of someone younger,” said one source.
Finding a host who can capture Williams’ popularity — before the scandal — will be a tough feat.
The NBC News anchor has the highest Q Scores of all his evening news competitors.
But his popularity could decrease if the NBC News investigation into Williams’ fuzzy war stories drags on.
“The longer you wait, the greater the likelihood of a negative reaction,” said Henry Schafer, executive vice president of The Q Scores Company, which measures celebrity popularity.
Williams, according to the measurement firm, has a 52 percent awareness score, versus ABC “World News” anchor David Muir (22 percent) and CBS’s Scott Pelley (23 percent).
The whole brouhaha began Jan. 30, when Williams broadcast a segment honoring retiring Army Command Sgt. Major Tim Terpak.
In the introduction to his segment, Williams reported: “The story started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq when the helicopter we’d been traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG.”
Chris Simeone, the pilot of the flight Williams was on, wrote on Williams’ Facebook page: “Such a liar! I was the Pilot in Command of the CH-47 flying Brian Williams into Iraq during the invasion. He was on my aircraft and we were NOT shot down … As far as Brian Williams, he’s a fake.”
NBC News declined comment.