Redskins place exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins — now what?

For the second consecutive year, the Washington Redskins have placed their franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team announced Tuesday.

Only this time it came with a twist.

The Redskins used the exclusive tag, which means this:

* The tag comes with a one-year guaranteed salary of roughly $24 million. The two sides have until July 15 to try and work out a long-term deal.

* Cousins is not allowed to negotiate with any other team. Under the non-exclusive tag – which the Redskins used last season – Cousins could have tried to swing a deal with a new team, though that team would have had to forfeit two first-round draft picks to the Redskins if a deal was done.

* This keeps Cousins off the free agent market, which begins on March 9. Speculation centered around San Francisco and his close relationship with new coach Kyle Shanahan as a possible destination if that happened. The 49ers enter the offseason with a major hole at quarterback and ample cap space, and Cousins is familiar with both Shanahan and his offense from their time together in Washington.

* While nobody knows if the San Francisco 49ers would have considered giving up a hefty sum for Cousins with the non-exclusive tag, this eliminates any chance of that happening. Unless …

* Even though Cousins can’t negotiate with another team, the Redskins can still trade him. But no team would be interested in any deal unless the quarterback first agreed to a long-term contract.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

PHOTOS: Best potential NFL free agents