Drew Brees Has 2-3 More Years Left In NFL, Says Ex-Teammate

40-year-old Drew Brees will be playing in the NFL for AT LEAST two more years ... so says Jonathan Vilma, his ex-Saints teammate.

"I think that Drew has, in my objective opinion, about another 2-3 years left."

Of course, Drew's future is back in the news 'cause Teddy Bridgewater just turned down the Dolphins' starting QB job to return to New Orleans to be Brees' backup.

Most figured it's 'cause Drew's days in the league are numbered and he needs a successor ... but Vilma -- who played with Brees for 6 seasons in New Orleans -- tells us Teddy could be waiting a while for that.

"If you ask Drew, he's got like another 10 or 15 years left!"

But, that doesn't mean Vilma hates Bridgewater's choice to stay ... in fact, the former linebacker tells us he thinks Teddy "made a smart long-term decision."

As for Bridgewater, he told reporters after re-upping with the Saints last week that, "I’m still 26 years old. The way I look at it is that I’ll have another opportunity to start in this league at some point."