We show that whereas pro‐inflammatory stimuli consistently downregulated MerTK expression in human monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDMs), stimuli indicative of a viral infection, interferon‐α (IFN‐α) and the TLR3 ligand poly(I:C), specifically induced Axl expression and promoted binding of the bridging molecule Gas6. Here, IFNA1 is linked to viral infectious disease.