I think if he would’ve been like “I’ve rally changed my mind. I can’t do this.” Neo and Morpheus I feel would’ve tried to help him re-enter the matrix.
The whole thing was about “give them a choice” and I think everyone would have at least understood how he fealt and would’ve tried to get him back into the matrix at his request.
I feel like he didn’t even try talking about it before he went to the agents.
I know it’s meaningless just wondering what other people thought.
He was never going to get plugged back into the matrix without the machines replacing all the nerve wires and plugs in his body, and moreover, to get placed in a pod without endangering the Nebuchadnezzar (remember Neo was picked up covertly from the icky pool after being released). Sure, in revolutions Neo and Trinity sailed across the farms without interception but that was at high speed.
Cypher was essentially groomed by the agents, and was guaranteed the high life of the top 1% of the world. Nobody else could guarantee that. There was no incentive to be open with his crew (and he would’ve been banished from access to the matrix, sent to work in drugery in Zion).
I feel this is the correct answer so far. There’s nothing for me to argue against here. Other than maybe “if they can give neo (edit to correct Neal to Neo lol” a bunch of guns they can give cypher money” but the argument is clearly “that was short term. The computers will eventually notice the long term hacking “