Former NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro, 35, died from a lethal mix of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol, according to online records from the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner.
The report said Mauro died on April 23 from an acute combination of fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication. The medical examiner classified his death as accidental.
His father, Greg Mauro, was the first to publicly share news of his son's death, confirming it in a Facebook
post.
"On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this earth and his first breath in heaven," Greg Mauro wrote. He asked for prayers as the family faces "the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend," adding that they were moving through their pain "with many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh is now healed and made new—living in the presence of the Lord."
Mauro, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive end out of Stanford, carved out a career in the NFL that spanned eight seasons and 80 games. He started in 40 of those contests and recorded five career sacks.
He spent most of his years playing professionally in Arizona. The Cardinals said in a
statement that Mauro had three separate stints with the team, first arriving under head coach Bruce Arians and playing a central role from 2014 to 2017. He returned twice more under head coach Kliff Kingsbury—in 2020 and 2021—to help shore up a battered defensive line.
Of over 55 games in a Cardinals uniform, he posted four sacks. His standout year came in 2016, when he started 13 of 15 games and registered 32 tackles.
He also spent a season each with the New York Giants and the then-Oakland Raiders. In Oakland in 2019, Mauro appeared in 13 games with seven starts, recording 19 total tackles, according to a Raiders
statement.
The tributes that poured in after his death painted a picture of a player whose value stretched beyond statistics. Former Cardinals safety and front-office executive Adrian Wilson remembered him on X as a player teams could always count on. "Always in shape, always was ready to go wherever he got that call," Wilson
wrote. "You could depend on him."
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who played alongside Mauro in Oakland, recorded a video tribute that was
posted on Facebook, where he recalled a personal gesture that left a lasting mark. "You were the first and probably only vet to text me when I got drafted," Crosby said. "I truly cannot believe you're gone."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
