I always thought Amy Robach was going to get the Today show spot then Savannah but NBC liked Savannah and maybe impressed with her resume. When Ann Curry debacle happened, they wanted a female anchor who can mirror Matt Lauer and not afraid to stand up to him.They also wanted a cutesy Katie Couric clone which Savannah Guthrie is.
Natalie has hindered her promotional chances when stories about her affair with Matt Lauer is still circulating. As long as Matt is still married, the wife will have a say over what happens and Natalie will continue to be the newsreader.
This never came out but one insider said Lester actually thought about leaving Today show and possibly NBC because he was not elevating anywhere.It was written in his contract that he could leave NBC if he did not get the top spot of any major NBC show. He was doing the dead end weekend job for 12 years and wanted a change in his schedule. He was the only guy at NBC who paid his dues , working hard and not getting anything to show for it.
I speculate that NBC panicked over Lester possibly leaving, and circumstances with Brian Williams embellishments was a blessing in disguise for NBC to keep Lester at the network.
If Lester did leave, it would have been an shell shock/nightmare for NBC.If NBC is smart they will do whatever they can to keep Lester Holt content and that includes bumping up his salary cause he is NBC's saving grace. He was the only guy at the network to insiders that never had an ego and never brought drama with him to the network.