Former NFL Defensive Lineman Dies at 35

Josh Mauro, who starred at Stanford before an eight-year NFL career, has died. He was 35.

The English-born former defensive lineman passed away last week, his family confirmed in a statement announcing the sad news.

Mauro's family speaks out

Public details regarding Mauro's death are scarce, but his family revealed "with many tears and broken hearts" that he "breathed his last breath" last Thursday, April 23.

"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," the statement reads.

"On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this earth and his first breath in heaven."

A look back on Mauro's career

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive end went undrafted in 2014 but caught on with the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad. He later emerged with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2014 season, appearing in five games with a pair of starts.

Mauro would go on to become a regular contributor with the Cardinals through the 2017 season, recording 75 tackles and two sacks in 47 games. During the 2018 offseason, he signed with the New York Giants; Mauro went on to log 28 tackles and a sack in 12 contests with Big Blue.

In 2019, he appeared in 13 games (seven starts) for the Oakland Raiders before finishing his career back with the Cardinals in 2020-21. In total, Mauro bagged 130 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 80 regular season games.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 1:39 PM.