Ex-NFL Star Passes Away At 35

Retired NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro, who spent parts of eight seasons in the league with multiple clubs, passed away on April 23 at the age of 35.

“With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new—living in the presence of the Lord—we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend,” Mauro’s family announced in a statement. “On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this earth and his first breath in heaven.”

No cause of death was disclosed in the announcement or subsequent reports.

Rest In Peace: Former NFL defensive end Josh Mauro has sadly passed away at the young age of 35 years old.

"Josh Mauro is now healed and made new, living in the presence og the Lord. Josh breathed his last breath on this earth and his first breath in heaven."

Sending prayers to… pic.twitter.com/1l8CIdjLhu

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 28, 2026

Born in St. Albans, England, Mauro moved to Texas with his family at the age of three after his father, Greg Mauro, completed a work assignment there. He grew up in Hurst, Texas, and attended L.D. Bell High School, where he earned first-team all-area honors from the Dallas Morning News and all-state recognition from the Associated Press.

He ultimately committed to Stanford University after being ranked as one of the nation’s top defensive line prospects.

At Stanford, Mauro played defensive end and contributed as a reserve early in his career before stepping into a larger role. As a fifth-year senior in 2013, he started 11 games and recorded 51 tackles (33 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception.

That season, he earned an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team and was named to watch lists for the Bednarik and Ted Hendricks awards.

Mauro went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, but ultimately made his way to the Arizona Cardinals after a brief offseason stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He made his NFL debut that season and appeared in five games.

Over his first stint with the Cardinals from 2014 to 2017, Mauro played in 47 regular-season games with 26 starts,recording career highs in 2016 of 42 tackles and 13 tackles for loss while starting 13 games. The team signed him to a two-year contract extension in January 2017.

After his release by the Cardinals in March 2018, Mauro signed with the New York Giants. He served a four-game suspension at the start of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances and upon his return, he started five games at defensive end and finished the year with 28 tackles, one sack, and four tackles for loss.

Mauro also had brief stints with the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars before wrapping up his career with the Cardinals once again.

Across his eight NFL seasons, Mauro appeared in more than 80 games and accumulated 130 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five pass deflections. He was primarily a rotational defensive end valued for his run defense and versatility along the line.

Mauro is survived by his parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Saddens me greatly. One thing to note, he was in Steelers Camp but didn’t make the cut. I interviewed Josh Mauro prior to going to the pros. He was an outstanding person. My condolences go to his family right now. https://t.co/VIc4NEDF0n

— Rudy Reyes (@rudedogreyes) April 28, 2026