49ers Niner Noise Podcast: Rob Lowder stops by to talk Jimmy Garoppolo

The Niner Noise Podcast welcomes in an old friend, Rob Lowder, to help talk the 49ers offseason so far and why Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t been traded yet.

The 2022 NFL offseason has been one of the wildest ones in recent memory, yet the San Francisco 49ers haven’t exactly been overly aggressive at playing the first couple of weeks of the new year.

No, the Niners have nothing to compare to the arms race going on in the AFC West, they haven’t been involved in some of the blockbuster wide receiver trades and contracts, and they certainly didn’t end up making a big splash in the quarterback carousel either.

Although one might argue they tried to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, only to be done in by some unforeseen and likely unfortunate circumstances.

Instead, the Houston Texans traded quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, which put fellow QB Baker Mayfield on the trade block, while the Indianapolis Colts acquired quarterback Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, who subsequently filled their void with former Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Marcus Mariota.

It would have been hard to predict those deals going down.

49ers Niner Noise Podcast welcomes Rob Lowder to talk Jimmy Garoppolo, NFL free agency

Needless to say, Garoppolo is a pretty hot topic right now, and fans can feel the frustrations and sentiments about general manager John Lynch and Co. botching Jimmy G’s market.

To go over this possibility, the Niner Noise Podcast welcomed back an old friend, Striking Gold Podcast host Rob Lowder (a Niner Noise alumnus, we might add), whose work can also be seen over at Niners Nation and USA Today’s Niners Wire.

Lowder sided with the notion San Francisco was more of a victim of those unforeseen circumstances rather than completely botching the market. And while a nonexistent Garoppolo trade right now means the quarterback won’t necessarily go anywhere anytime soon, Lowder argued the 49ers still have to ensure 2022 is all about one player, second-year pro Trey Lance, who’ll likely get all the first-team reps during offseason workouts in the wake of Garoppolo’s offseason shoulder surgery.

You can check out Lowder’s guest appearance on the Niner Noise Podcast below:

There still is a possibility the Niners trade Garoppolo, of course. But there’s no way San Francisco keeps Garoppolo on the roster into the regular season.

Among other topics, Lowder gave his thoughts on the 49ers’ top needs remaining after the opening weeks of NFL free agency, particularly what position should be the No. 1 priority to address in April’s NFL Draft.

You’ll want to give it a listen, and be sure to subscribe to the Niner Noise Podcast while also following what Lowder is up to over at Blue Wire Pods’ Striking Gold Podcast, too.

Much appreciation for him coming aboard!