Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has signed his franchise tender, two days after the Redskins placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the record-setting quarterback.

Kirk Cousins is wasting no time getting back to work.

Two days after the Washington Redskins placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the quarterback, Cousins signed his tender.

Cousins tweeted out a photo of him signing Thursday morning with the caption, "I'm told this is the final step in making it officially official. I am back with the Redskins for 2016! Thrilled for the opportunity! Let's get to work!"

The Redskins and Cousins had been trying to work out a long-term deal to keep the Michigan State product in Washington for the 2016 season and beyond.

But with Monday's 4 p.m. deadline to place the franchise tag on one player within the organization and the Redskins not wanting to risk Cousins potentially leaving the team via free agency, they locked him down to the one-year contract.

By signing his tender, Cousins will be able to participate in all offseason team activities and workouts, which will start up in April.

Having the entire offseason as the starting quarterback will be new to Cousins, as he was solidly the backup quarterback behind Robert Griffin III for each of his first four offseasons in the NFL.

But with Cousins replacing Griffin III in the lineup just prior to the start of the 2015 regular season, he now has a few extra months to get into a groove with his teammates.

"The more he gets in the same system, the better he's going to be," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said at the NFL Combine last week. "He's already showing progress at a fast rate, for a young quarterback in a system for the first time."

Cousins last season set several single-season franchise records, as he passed for 4,166 yards while completing 379 of his 543 passing attempts.

As the season wore on and the Redskins needed the best out of Cousins, he responded.

Selected as the NFC Offensive Player of the Month (which also included Week 17 action in early January), Cousins accumulated 13 touchdowns to one interception while also rushing for touchdowns in back-to-back games against the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills.

In a late-December game with division championship implications against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cousins passed for 365 yards and four touchdowns to no interceptions in a 38-24 NFC East-clinching victory.

The following week, Cousins shredded the Dallas Cowboys in just a little more than a quarter, as he threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 pass attempts.

With Cousins now on the roster, the Redskins must now look to find a capable backup behind him.

Colt McCoy will become a free agent next week while Griffin III is not expected to return after an up and down career with the Redskins.

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