With a herniated cervical disc, it looks that we may be faced with another Eichel situation. A small portion of the with self-reabsorb after a period of rest. The other cases will require definitive surgery. However, I don’t see this becoming an artificial disc vs fusion debate. Football is too violent of a sport. So, how have players done after cervical spinal fusion? This is a little dated, but a good starting point.
https://www.shimspine.com/cervical-fusions-nfl/