That’s what the Washington Post‘s Jason Horowitz hints at in a lengthy profile of the White House Press Secretary today.

Gibbs is one of the three advisers closest to the president, along with presidential campaign manager David Plouffe, and senior strategist David Axelrod. With Axelrod potentially heading off to run the re-election campaign, the door would be open for Gibbs to step up into a new role.

On potentially leaving the Press Secretary position for that of senior adviser:

Gibbs is too discreet to say which job he prefers, but it’s not hard to figure out. Listen to the press secretary talk about the media as a predictable, hyperventilating rabble obsessed with access and covering “everything as make or break,” or observe his frustration percolating in the briefing room.

On who could succeed him:

While deputy press secretary Bill Burton is being groomed for Gibbs’s job, and other Democratic communications specialists, such as Brad Woodhouse at the Democratic National Committee, are considered potential successors, none has Gibbs’s authority.

Certainly, the role of press secretary is tireless, and often thankless — at least outside the administration. But like a good PR pro, Gibbs wouldn’t entertain any ideas of a job move. “I think if you were to look forward a year, I expect I will be where I am,” he told Horowitz.