PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner has determined that former NFL defensive end Josh Mauro died from an accidental drug overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol; a combination toxicologists describe as particularly deadly and increasingly common.
Mauro, 35, was found dead April 23 at his home in the Phoenix area. The medical examiner’s office officially classified his cause of death as “acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication” and ruled the manner of death an accident.
His father, Greg Mauro, announced the news days later in a social media post.
“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,” Greg Mauro wrote.
Mauro carved out an eight-year NFL career after going undrafted out of Stanford in 2014. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive lineman spent the bulk of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, also playing for the New York Giants, then-Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars. His most productive season came in 2016 with the Cardinals, when he started 13 games and recorded 32 tackles. He finished with 130 combined tackles, 20 for loss, and five sacks across 80 career games.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Josh Mauro,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone grieving this loss.”
Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald also sent a personal letter to the Mauro family following Josh’s death.
“Josh was someone you could always count on for more than just the game. He had depth to him; he was genuinely curious about people, thoughtful in the way he listened, and generous in the way he engaged. Our conversations are something I’ll carry with me always,” Fitzgerald wrote.
Fentanyl’s Deadly Reach
Mauro’s death reflects a pattern that has claimed tens of thousands of American lives in recent years — fentanyl mixed into other substances such as cocaine, often without the user’s knowledge.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 69% of all drug overdose deaths in 2023 involved synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl. That same year, nearly 28% of overdose deaths also involved cocaine — a sobering indicator of how frequently the two substances are combined, either intentionally or unknowingly.
While overdose deaths have declined for three consecutive years, falling from a pandemic-era peak of 110,000 in 2022 to nearly 70,000 in 2025, according to the CDC, fentanyl remains the leading driver of overdose fatalities in the United States. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, an amount smaller than a few grains of salt, can be lethal.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which has partnered with NFL Alumni Health for three consecutive years on fentanyl awareness campaigns, seized the equivalent of 369 million deadly doses of fentanyl in 2025 alone.
Mauro is not the first NFL player whose death has been linked to fentanyl. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jaylon Ferguson died in June 2022 at age 26 from an accidental overdose involving cocaine and fentanyl.
